The memory of the dead
by blubird513
Summary: In a world in which grim reapers exist, one finds the lonely and forgotten Dick Grayson and takes him in as his own, but a mistaken death causes Dick to lose all memories. What happens when a certain bat wants his baby bird back? R&R plz. (On hold for remastering!)
1. He died

*this chap has been remastered!

The night was cold as always in Bludhaven, when was it not? However Nightwing couldn't bring himself to care anymore, his mind was on pettier subjects. Bruce, being replaced, shunned by the heroes, people he called his family, everyone; and those were just a few things on his mind.

Beyond thoughts, he battled and struggled with emotions in his own mind, all of them consuming the young, bright sprout he once was, leaving just a disheveled tired man in place. What did it feel like?

To it's most raw and simple description, he felt lonely.

It was just like that, no reconnections or anything meaningful, no redemption or forgiveness for… well, what did he do? All he ever tried to do was make people proud of him, to make them happy, to help them. Now look what happened.

He was alone, no one cared for him anymore.

The titans didn't need him, his young justice league didn't want him around. The justice league, the adults that were supposed to care and mentor them, didn't seem to care enough to reach out to him, and Bruce… he had three other robins to love and care for, since he got pushed out of the nest.

Not that he despised them for it, but… there was just a disconnect somewhere in between them. They weren't family.

Dick tried so many times to connect with each one, but they didn't want or need his "pity", as they had put it. Seriously, when did trying to give someone a hug count as that, or even try to make any human contact. Dick's face twisted into a crooked smile, _it was almost as if they feared it._

He let out a bitter laugh at the thought. The _bats_? Afraid?! Nonsense.

But it was thoughts like these the really made him think, and hit so close to home. And they hit hard. He wasn't the same because of them.

Behind his domino mask, were the eyes of a man who felt isolated and beyond the eyes, was just a boy who lacked love and care. He never had a loving childhood, it was hard when you had a distant billionaire and even more distant vigilante as your adoptive father. The closest he ever came to someone caring about him was when he had his parents,but they were dead now.

But even then, there was someone else.

He only knew him by his first name, Simon.

Simon was a man who had white hair, glasses and almost always had a business suit on. Eyes cold and steely, voice as sharp as a knife and posture proud and strong as that of a wolf, was the best way he could describe the guy. But for his off putting and standoffish look, and especially the resting bitch-face the man had, he was not such a bad guy.

Simon, he learned later on, was actually a lawyer working with Haley's circus after the media began suing the circus on false claims of animal cruelty.

Whenever he wasn't working with his parents or Mr. Haley, Simon watched the performers do their routine, sometimes taking notes on a clipboard.

Dick remembered the noise of the clipboard as the pen scribbled on it, in fact, that was the thing that got his attention on Simon. The sound of writing.

He eventually got curious and asked Simon what he was doing one day, to which the man, unlike most adults who would patronize the child, actually explained his work and, to put it in Simon's words, " _... supervising the animal trainers for any evidence on their defense argument in court. I have a suspicion that the animal mistreatment claims are false, but one can never be too sure_."

Dick smiled faintly as he looked back on the memory. Simon was honestly like no other person he'd met before. He was like an uncle, or at least as close to an uncle as one could get when you had an adult lawyer for a friend.

He chuckled slightly under his breath as more memories resurfaced.

When Simon would take notes and what not, Dick would follow and watch him, ask him questions or riddles, tell jokes and stories to the working lawyer as a pastime.

He was a tad bit strange as he always appeared to have a cold, distant persona, but he was always kind enough to humor him as a kid. Always answered questions, played along to his games and even told him a few stories. He was one of the few people who seemed happy to spend time with him.

The day of his departure was one of the hardest days Dick has ever had, at least the ones he could remember. He faintly recalled having skipped meals that day and refusing to practice his techniques as well, all in order to be able to see Simon off before he left, he'd never know when he'd see him again.

Luckily he was able to catch him just on time, while he was ecstatic, Simon didn't look too surprised to see him, but he didn't look unhappy about it either. He was actually smiling. Something rare for the stoic lawyer.

To be honest, what he remembered the most out of that day was Simon's genuine happy smile…

That's when Dick frowned, _it was probably the most genuine smile he's seen. It's not like anyone he knows ever seems to actually be something other than serious or angry._

Now that he thought about it, he couldn't imagine a time when HE was actually happy in his home. It was always just Dick Grayson, the golden child who always cracked a smile and got berated for his cheerful demeanor.

It was always just Nightwing who was the hero with a blinding smile and a serious job.

It wasn't real.

It was never him.

But now, Nightwing and Dick Grayson were perched on a building, looking down on the city, and they had to focus now. Though nothing much was happe-

 **BOOM!**

Dick was then startled out of his thoughts as he heard an explosion in the distance.

 _Just as I thought nothing was happening,_ he thought with a slight scowl.

Getting up, he ran as quickly as he could towards the explosion site, finding himself being led to a warehouse.

Quickly and quietly, he jumped a few fences and crates around the grounds, taking a spot on top of a crate as the sound of footsteps was heard. The eyes of his domino mask diminished to slits as he saw a few men carrying large crates of what seemed to be explosions.

He then heard one of the men speaking, he seemed to be in a conversation with someone else, "Yes, they are explosives…. Repurpose them for smoke bombs?…. Alright, but…. Yes, boss… fill them with Anthrax poison?... A statement to the supers… I understand boss"

' _A deadly poison?',_ he thought, body stiffening in shock.

' _Whoever this is, they want to kill masses if they plan on using gas bombs, gaining the justice league's attention for sure… but too late to save anyone. That's not gonna fly with me',_ Dick thought as he shook his head in disbelief and determination.

Dick made his way over to the pile of crates containing the explosives, careful not to let anyone know he was there.

He noticed that all of the crates were piled up with the bombs in three specific locations, being shipped off to the mysterious buyer.

The only way to stop the shipment would be to get rid of the bombs, which would either take: One, disarming them to make them useless or .Two. blow them up.

He liked the first a few tools from a newly installed pouch in his suit, he began to open the crates and carefully take bombs out, disarming them and breaking their intricate pieces, once harmless. It was a tedious and long process, but luckily no one seemed to notice.

He had almost gotten through the last of the bombs when someone had started to yell. Dick stood up in alarm, only to find himself at a standoff with a man holding a gun. "Hey, what the hell do you think you're doing?!", The man snarled as he put his finger on the trigger.

Dick jumped onto a crate and heard the first shot go off, body crouched and shielding his head, he stayed like that for a second to regroup.

Plan one failed, he didn't want to try the second one, so plan three it is then: use up all their firearms and knock them out.

Dick began to dodge bullet after bullet, but as more and more people began to fire a him, it got a lot harder to do so. It went on for who knows how long, until something went wrong.

The shots began to hit the crates too much, and the bombs weren't having it.

Dick's tired eyes widened, and his winded body stopped as he heard the high-pitched, eerie activation noise of the explosives. He turned his head towards the gunman, expecting them to have tried to book it out of there, but instead they were just there shooting at him.

He didn't register the amount of bullets zipping into his flesh or the pain from them. He could only fixate on the fact they weren't running away, _how strange_ , but he didn't think about it much longer.

The bombs went off...

With Dick being launched by the explosion…

...Plan two it is then.

He didn't like this plan, but he'd dealt with worse outcomes. Dick let his thoughts run and a tired, relieved smile etched on his face at that grim moment, watching as the world went bright around him.

His smile grew wider soon enough, before everything cut to black.


	2. Simon

A man walked through the outskirts of Bludhaven, muttering to himself as he examined a clipboard in his hands, tapping his pen on each name he read.

Under his breath he counted the numbers and names, _Thirty thousand nine hundred people dead today, that's a new record. Simon old boy, you need a vacation._

The man named Simon ran a hand through his hair as he thought once more about why he was out in bludhaven that day. He was collecting the souls of those who their time had come, as his job as a Grim reaper requires him to do.

It was a tedious and long process, but one that was absolutely necessary.

If no one collected the souls then there would be no more people left on earth, since the souls weren't assigned to a body. _Truly important, but a really tiring job,_ Simon thought as he adjusted his glasses.

There were thousands of other grim reapers out there just like him, but not enough that were trained well enough to collect and carry out tasks correctly.

Being a grim reaper wasn't always just a kill to kill system, it was a system with rules, guidelines and special exceptions to the natural were lots of rules but it came down to a few main ones:

One: A grim reaper could only kill if it was the person's time to die

Two: A grim reaper cannot allow a living organism to wield their weapons

Three: A grim reaper must collect the souls in their assigned area or in a radius of 100 miles

Four: A grim reaper cannot take a chosen one away from their family or home

What does the last one mean? Well….

An individual is chosen every 10,000 years, each starting off as an organic organism, a human. Instead of their souls being collected, they were allowed to reincarnate and live multiple lives until they were deemed worthy enough to become a grim, demon, or a soulkeeper.

To be assessed in worthiness, an established and professional grim reaper would have to take a human under their wing and teach them what they need to know to carry out their job as a grim reaper.

Their mentor would assign them their next lives and would have to find them, not being able to follow them through the afterlife. Eventually they would take on the task as a grim reaper and carry out the natural order, but if they showed no interest in preservation of souls and balance, they would be deemed a demon and banished to the depths of hell.

Unfortunately many demons escape from their eternal prisons and grim reapers must take up the task to eliminate them.

The normal tasks of collecting souls has piled up as of recent, leading to reapers running ragged trying to control this problem, being a few in number and new reapers came ever so rarely.

Soul keepers have tried to locate the next one as they are in charge of where the souls of the newly dead are distributed and how they are manipulated to be brand new.

So here was Simon, a tired grim reaper who had finally finished his count of new souls to collect.

He was ready to go home and collapse in bed, maybe even try sleeping, even though his body had no need for it...

But just as he was about to turn around to go home, his eyes widened as he sensed an explosion from the other side of the city, and the force of a released soul trapped in a body.

 _Another idiot who's dead, another soul to collect,_ Simon though, eyebrow twitching as he sighed in frustration.

 _Why are humans so damn fragile?_

Grabbing his clipboard he wrote a note of one more person dying for the night, another soul to relocate.

He then refocused his attention on the soul he sensed in the distance, until a strong white glow emitted from his body, teleporting him to the other side of town.

The grim looked around the place he teleported into, quickly assessing where he was and what had happened just moments ago.

 _A warehouse, an explosion, but only one person is dead?…. How peculiar._

As Simon walked past the rubble and fire covering the ground, he closed his eyes, letting himself relax. One last soul for tonight.

 _That was it, just one more and I am home free,_ Simon pondered the idea of rest to himself, a smile etching at his lips.

The smile dropped however as he sensed something near him, something _dead._

Simon stopped abruptly and opened his eyes, looking down in front of him. He came across a young man in a tattered suit, blood pooling beneath him, his soul glowing bright to him.

 _Richard John "Dick" Grayson_ , he thought to himself as shock overtook his features.

The little boy he had met all that time ago… has died on this very night.

 **-A chosen Grim Reaper-**


	3. Meeting again in a new life

**This chapter has been remastered**

Simon crouched down quickly and examined Dick thoroughly, checking for signs of life, finding none in the bloody, battered and bruised, broken body. Simon sighed in disappointment, he had honestly hoped the child would grow to old age and lead a happy, healthy life.

Not only that, Dick apparently was a reaper to be. If he had only found out sooner, he could have made an ally in him and maybe even rekindled an old friendship.

 _So much for wishful thinking_ , Simon thought bitterly as he stared at the fresh corpse. Well, rules are rules, so Dick's soul had to go… In the sense of being relocated to a new host body, at at least.

As Simon reached over, taking the scythe that hung by his belt, raising it above his head before slamming the sharp end of it into the young man's body. Simon shifted in slight annoyance as blood splattered a bit onto his suit. _Bloody nuisance it is to have to stab a body to remove the soul_ , Simon thought as he flicked off the specs of blood. _No matter, blood can be washed off…_

Simon moved the scythe around, opening up a fleshy and bloody hole in Dick's chest, looking around for the soul. When he did find it however, he didn't make a move to grab it, Simon just watched it with utter shock as his only reaction to it.

Instead of the soul being dull and dead as it should have been, it shone brightly, albeit a bit too bright with sparks flying out of it.

That has never happened before.

Quickly, he reached into his pocket and pulled out an old time watch.

3:49 A.M. would be how a normal person would read it, but a grim reaper would say this person had died on the wrong day, meaning it wasn't his time yet.

A small and relieved grin spread on the reapers face; Dick could be revived. Not all was lost.

However, Simon paused to think over his next course of action.

Revival was an extremely rare thing to occur to a human being, mostly because it was never necessary. If a normal person died too early, their soul would still be collected and the only side effect in their early reassignment would be that the could recall glimpses of their former life, but nothing too concerning or explicit.

This wasn't a normal person however.

Simon carefully thought of what to do next for a revival as it could lead to disastrous consequences if done incorrectly. He knew a revival itself was also dangerous as the person undergoing it would experience age regression, memory loss of their life as a living organism, gain of supernatural powers, just to name a few.

He would need some help if he wanted to carry on with this, but it would be worth it if another grim reaper is raised to help maintain order in this crazy and chaotic world.

Simon swiftly grabbed onto the neck piece of Dick's suit and tore it open down the middle, exposing the bullet ridden chest. The soul burned even brighter at being exposed to the night sky, but Simon soon engulfed it into the comfort of his gloved hand. Once again Simon focused and maintained his attention single-pointedly on the life in his literal hands, entering the mind of the soul.

Once in the mindscape of the other, Simon reviewed any and all past lives Dick has had before. As a grim reaper, he already knew what Dick's number of lifespans was and the various names he undertook with them. But what layed in the experience of those lives? What memories came with them?

That's when Simon delved deeper into the plane.

As images began to flash around him in a fast pace, Simon could only sigh and cross his arms, waiting for the memories to fly by. The stoic man just allowed the memories to drain out, not much care for them did he show. But why should he?

The memories of the young man were heartbreaking and infuriating to watch.

With each memory zipping through, Simon felt all the emotions and thoughts that Dick grayson had in them. Each one held similar themes of pain, discomfort, depression, anger. The reaper could only flinch at each of the fleeting feelings, at least that was until he kneeled over in absolute pain.

He gritted his teeth and spat out curses under constrained breath. A new feeling arose. **Longing**.

Longing for acceptance he should have,

longing for forgiveness for the guilt he shouldn't be feeling,

longing for the family that should be there for him,

longing for a piece of love when he should have all of it,

longing for feeling human.

Simon's lip curled as the feeling persisted and got stronger and stronger, making him bare his teeth and let a few silent tears slip through his eyes. He looked past the rim of his glasses while holding his chest in pain, watching the memories flip faster and faster.

Then as if he had a heart attack, the slowly zipping memory of the explosion happened.

It all went silent for a few seconds as the memories cleared, only allowing Dick's final and most important images appear.

Simon from his position on the barren floor, panting to clear the pain, watched the images of the boy's parents deaths, the adoption, Bruce wayne firing him for disobeying, the 'replacements', the teams and friends he had turning their backs on him.

All the people who molded him into the person he is today, and left him in shambles when their perfect image of the perfect Dick grayson was shattered.

And that very man was picking up all the pieces of himself what were broken off, chiped, or shaved by other people. Simon sneered, _some heroes..._

The man suited in the trench coat finally stood up, still watching the images and feeling bitter, cold **hatred** for the people who caused such pain to the young man. But just when he thought he couldn't feel any worse, a final image came with spoken words adorning the memory.

It was himself and Dick, the final day he spent in the circus, the last time he saw the boy before shit hit the fan. He was smiling at the kid as the young acrobat rushed forward and tackled him in a teary hug, smile bigger than ever.

" _The most genuine smile i've ever seen, and the happiest one i've ever had…",_ were the final words spoken with the image.

Simon dropped to his knees, eyes wide with horror and hands grasping and shaking at his coat.

The man felt absolutely horrible, that out of all of the kid's life, he was the last and final thought. And where was he all those years? He certainly never came back, even less think about the kid. Sure those were some of the most enjoyable moments of his life, but at the time he doubted it mattered much to an energetic, short attention spanned kid.

Now look where he was…

Sitting on his knees, staring up at an empty plane, having watched the kid remember him and feeling horrible to have the kid die happy. No one dies happy, unless they've had come to terms that they have to die or they've had a bitch of a life.

And Simon knew which one took the cake.

The old reaper took a shaky hand and ran it through his head of white hair, his eyes drooped down as he stared at the ground in thought.

 _Even after all of this, Dick was willing to forgive and love all of those who have wronged him, even me,_ Simon thought as his hands curled into fists, anger rising like bile. _And I fucking forgot him..._

Letting his hands fall to his side, he got ready to go and search for the boy in the wide mindscape. He only knew one thing for sure, that he was going to make up for countless years of loneliness to the kid. That he was going to build a bond with the boy and treat him like an actual human being, not a fighting machine or a ward. But like his own son.

With that plan in mind he stood up, ready to traverse the scape...

But he was soon interrupted as a small boy tackled him in a hug, making Simon stiff up completely from shock. He looked down at the kid, noticing he was wearing an acrobat suit with an 'R' on it. Kneeling down on one leg he recognized him to be Richard, despite the tears running down his cheeks and his young age. Simon lifted an eyeridge, he wasn't quite expecting this to be so easy.

"You're leaving, already?", Dick said as he swiped at his eyes.

Simon's eyes widened by a hair. _Dick remembers me?_ , he thought, but sighed immediately after in understanding. _I was his last thought, of course he'd recognizes me..._ His eyes slowly widened from there as he thought more about it. _But if that was his last thought, then the entire memory is replaying right here, right now.._

Simon understanding where this was heading, began to repeat what he said that day to the boy, _just before he left his life forever..._

"I will have to", Simon said extending his hand to rest it on the child's shoulder. "But you know what?"

"What?"

"You don't have to be by yourself anymore, I can take you with me"

… _.But this time…._

"Really?"

"Yes, and I promise i'll make it up to you for all the years of pain you have endured."

 _...He wouldn't leave him all alone..._

"You mean it?"

"Of course. "

"Are a grim reaper?"

"Yes"

…. _in the dark…._

"Am I dead?"

"Yes"

"I don't want to be dead"

"I know, no one does, but I can bring you back with me"

"And you won't leave me?"

"No, never on purpose."

"I want to go with you, Simon"

"Then I shall make that happen, I promise. Now give me your hand and hold on tight"

Dick took hold of Simon's hand, squeezing it tight to reassure himself he was no longer alone. Simon returned the gesture before closing his eyes and focusing his mind to bring them back out of the mindscape and into the real world.

Simon opened his eyes again and found himself hugging a small boy, who was wearing the tatters of Nightwing's suit. Age regression.

"Simon!", Dick called out as his eyes shot open. He took deep and quick breaths as he locked eyes with the grim reaper. "You're here!"

"Yes I am", Simon responded as he picked him up, a smile slowly forming on his tired features.

"So it wasn't just a dream?", Dick asked, receiving a 'no' from Simon. "Are you really going to keep your promise?"

"If that's what you want", Simon responded and Dick nodded his head, hugging Simon tighter as he buried his head in his neck.

"Then, let us go home", Simon said walking away with his old friend in his arms, away from the rubble of the warehouse, away from death, away from everything. Both looking forward to the horizon.

…. _of night._


	4. Pancakes and attatchment

***THESE CHAPTERS HAVE BEEN REMASTERED!**

Their walk home took longer than expected, a few hours to be precise, sunrise had already come and gone.

Walking home on foot to the other side of the city, however could do that to any person. Especially when said person was carrying a sleeping child in their arms and was tired from the whole experience of reviving said child.

 _No matter I suppose_ , Simon thought as he finally walked up to an apartment building complex, walking in and quickly finding his room number. _Home sweet home._

Upon entering the apartment, Simon took immediate notice of how barren in furniture he was, only having his bed, a nightstand, his couch and a table in the kitchen. Even more barren was his fridge, which stood obsoletely in the kitchen.

Since his body had no need for food, he didn't actually stock it. He just kept it there for image if he ever had any visitors. Simon huffed, _like anyone would want to knock on death's door_.

Though Simon's thoughts did linger on the plates, pans, pots and utensils he owned. He raised an eyebrow at himself, _why did he buy those?_

He shook his head briefly before returning to the matter at hand. Dick would need food to eat.

With a snap of his fingers he materialized food in the fridge and coverts, knowing that revival caused an unexplainable desire to consume food. If there was no food, the revived would eat whatever was actually edible. Simon grumbled a bit at the thought, _damned zombies._

Simon glanced over to the sleeping boy in his grip, looking to see if the child was hungry, only to find that he was still sleeping, obviously drained from dying and regressing in age.

Simon raised a brow at Dick as he jostled him a bit for a response, getting none from the sleeping boy.

 _Well, he didn't look hungry,_ Simon figured, ceasing trying to get an answer from the peaceful slumberer.

Carefully he set Dick down on the couch and sat next to him, focussing immensely as he no longer had the child in arms and summoned a portal-like window. Quickly he tapped the portal a few times, hoping to get a response from the other side.

He waited a moment.

Nothing happened.

Simon cleared his throat and waited for someone to appear. He sighed, clearly it seemed like no one was going to pick up. But before he could close the portal, he heard screaming from the other side. Simon grumbled once more, _what are they doing now?_

Clearing his throat once more, a woman with a maroon dress and matching sun hat appeared on the screen portal. Simon's gaze trailed off to her hand, which was at the moment strangling a man with horns on his head.

"Simon?", The woman questioned nonchalantly as if she wasn't choking a demon reaper at the moment.

"Yes, it's me Mary", Simon said as he adjusted his glasses. "Blake", he said as he addressed the horned man, gaining no clear acknowledgement from the other as he struggled to free himself. "I am in need of your assistance at the moment."

"Can this wait? I'm busy teaching Blake a lesson at the moment", Mary said gripping Blake's neck tighter.

"SiMon! HeLP, GeT Her TO STOP!", Blake rasped out.

"Bloody Mary, I am in need of your assistance immediately", Simon said firmly as he adjusted the portal to reveal Dick, sleeping next to him in a curled little ball.

"OH. MY. GOODNESS", Mary punctuated in shock, dropping Blake to the ground. "That's the chosen Grim reaper, Dick Grayson!"

"What!?" Blake rasped out as he shot up from the ground, a hand placed on his throbbing, sore throat.

"Simon Macabre! You can't just steal a kid from their home and make them a grim reaper!", Mary yelled gripping the sides of the portal screen. "Put that boy back before I rip your fucking guts out!"

"Bloody Mary", Simon said calmly and stoically. "I revived him, he was a freshly dead, adult male."

"So the poor sap died", Blake said summoning a holographic plane, oblivious to the glares sent his way for the crude comment. "Says here, he died from an explosion in the early hours of the morning, in Bludhaven. Status: Revived."

"Yes and I need assistance for his further transformation in his age reversal", Simon said as he ruffled Dick's hair. "It's been years since i've taken care of a young one, especially a kid this important to me. He's had a hard life and… well I made a promise to care for him.

I owe it to the child I made friends with all those years back, especially since I was in his final thoughts and I never thought much more about the kid beyond that day. I just want to make this right", Simon finished off his winded confession, having no other words to say, but feeling as he had not said enough.

"Hmm", Mary said as she closed her eyes pensively, Simon patiently awaited his colleagues' answer. "I will never fully understand your history and the commitment you brought on yourself. But I am willing to help you", she said as she opened her eyes and smiled at Simon, he grinned back.

"For the moment, just make sure he's fed, clean, and you keep an eye on him. The young ones are always the trickiest to take care of, they are really energetic. Also try to show more of an emotional side, children become more likely to stay near you if you do and probably not try to run off too far."

Sounded simple enough, but it was easier said than done. Simon's gaze landed on Dick once again and decided it would be best if he settled him into an actual bed.

"Alright, thank you for your assistance", Simon said. "I have to get going to move Dick to a more comfortable area, also would you mind if you informed Belladonna and Mike?"

"Not at all, either way Blake here would blab it out to every grim in the known multiverse", Mary said as she grabbed Blake by the collar of his black shirt, pulling him off the ground with her unnatural reaper strength.

"Alright, I shall leave you two to your activities, but Mary, try not to spill blood. The last time I went to the underworld it was a mess, and even then Blake is a demon, demon's have strange stuff in their blood that attracts grims and I don't need to fight off another grim reaper so they don't kill Blake with a scythe", Simon said, rolling his eyes in the spur of old memories arising from the said warning.

He recalled one time in which Blake spilled a droplet of his own blood and multiple grim reapers came to annihilate the demon. Demons and Grims didn't get along very well for their antics in manipulation souls of those that have passed and messing with the reassignment protocol of Grim reapers. So naturally Blake wasn't popular in the land of the grim reapers, but he was there because he was a potential grim reaper, if he could eliminate his chaotic tendencies.

Looking back at the portal, the three gave their final goodbyes and parted ways.

Simon finally closed the portal with a flick of his wrist and turned back to Dick. He once again lifted him into his arms, easily carrying him to his room and plopping him down on the bed, where he immediately curled into a small ball.

The older of the two, sighed. He recognized this move, Dick was trying, in a failed attempt, to raise his body temperature.

Why failed? Well after a revival, the heartbeat drops to 20 heartbeats a minute, blood in the vessels slows to a near stop and so body temperature drops. Without rushing blood, the body can't regulate its heat normally.

Simon observes as Dick's face twists into one of discomfort, before he begrudgingly climbs into bed after shrugging off his coat and stays near the boy. He feels a pair of arms hug him making him freeze in place, grimacing at the human contact, he looks down to see the child smiling in his sleep.

Simon, although a bit uncomfortable with the contact of the hug, decided it was just for the best if he stayed put. The kid needed the warmth. Slowly slipping his eyes shut, Simon allowed himself to fall into a dreamless slumber.

* * *

BONUS CHAPTER!

* * *

Simon woke up in the evening of that same day, to the smell of something cooking… scratch that, burning in the kitchen. Simon groggily sat up in the bed, feeling less than ecstatic to know something was burning in his home.

Lifting himself up from the bed, he walked into the kitchen not expecting to see Dick standing on a chair cooking at what seemed to be pancakes, on a pan, being burned.

"Hi Simon!", Dick greeted cheerfully as he flipped over the burnt pancake.

Simon waved in absent acknowledgment as he looked around his once clean kitchen. There were egg yolks and shells on the tiles, flour over the counter, batter on the stove, butter melting on a plate and milk spills mixing with it. He also noticed that his sugar container was no longer present in the kitchen.

Simon sighed as he ran his hands over his face. Thank god he could just clean it up with a snap of his fingers.

Simon walked over to Dick and watched as the child used a spatula to take the pancake out of the pan, and plop the burnt food on a plate along with various other deformed pancakes. How he hadn't not started a fire yet, the answer was beyond Simon.

Dick then jumped off the chair and took the plate of pancakes, walking to the table to set them down.

"Simon, could you help me set some plates and glasses for the both of us?", Dick said as he walked back to get the butter. "I'm too short to reach."

Simon nodded silently and went over to his cabinets, pulling out plates and glasses. He then decided to strike up a conversation.

"I appreciate the action of making…", Simon trailed off as he warily looked at the black circular crisps on the platter, "...'pancakes' for the both of us, but I don't understand your motivations", Simon said as he picked up the milk and walked back to the table.

"I wanted to do something nice for you since you brought me back to life and kept me warm at night", Dick said happily as he helped Simon with the plates. "Most of all you kept your promise, I should at least thank you for that."

"But you didn't have to do this", Simon responded as he started pouring the milk into the glasses. "A simple 'thank you' would have sufficed."

"It still never hurts to have pancakes for a late breakfast", Dick said as he took a seat across from the grim. The older took a seat along with the kid, deciding to just give into the kind gesture.

"I suppose", Simon responded as he looked down at his plate of charcoal pancakes, picking up the utensils to eat. Taking a fork and knife he cut a small piece of the black pastry, popping it into his mouth.

"How do they taste?", Dick asked in honest curiosity as to whether he made the pancakes correctly or not, or if Simon like them. Dick honestly couldn't remember how to make pancakes, so he followed the instructions he found on the box of the batter. But he kinda got creative with the instructions, e're go the missing sugar jar.

"Good" _They tasted like nothing_ , _that was good,_ Simon thought as he silently thanked himself for being a grim.

As a grim reaper he had no sense of taste.

Well, he did, but it wasn't very strong at all.

He looked over to Dick, who had smiled brightly at him before taking a bite of his own pancakes. To Simon's relief, Dick can't taste either as his brain activity shut down a few senses after death, taste was luckily one of them.

Breakfast is eaten in silence and Simon decides to summon a newspaper, earning himself a small 'wow' from the child across from him. Slightly smiling a bit at the child's amazement at a simple party trick, Simon returned to the newspaper, it's large font on the cover saying something along the lines of,

" **Vigilante activity missing in the explosion of the warehouse"**

 _Saying you were absent in action when you actually died because of it? That's depressing_ , the grim thought absentmindedly as he turned the next page in hopes of a better news story.

Simon continued reading until he heard the scratch of a fork on an empty plate. Looking up he saw Dick had finished his pancakes and was now looking at the kitchen, it really was a mess.

"I was going to clean it up before you woke up", Dick said as he began to gather up his dishes.

Simon frowned, the kid just got revived, has a second chance at life and wanted to do housework? No, Simon wouldn't allow that. Dick was a child now, and Simon would make sure he got a proper childhood, one with wonder and magic.

He got an idea.

"Don't worry about it", Simon said putting his paper down. "In fact, let me help you." With a few snaps of his fingers, objects around the kitchen began to rearrange and float mid-air, including the plates. Simon smiled as Dick got up quickly from his chair watching the utensils, cups and such, fly all above his head. It was as if the room had come to life with magic in the home.

Simon made a note to thank the Walt Disney later, for the idea.

Dick ran over to touch one of the floating plates, watching as it spinned around by his touch.

"This is amazing! How can you do that!?", Dick said as he laughed in amazement, racing the plates over to the sink.

 _Humans are entertaining to impress, until they start asking questions,_ Simon thought as he got up to follow the kid. _But this isn't so bad,_ he thought as he turned to look at the kid, reminding himself to do it more often as a means to make Dick smile.

"I'm a Grim Reaper, I have access to these abilities and what not", Simon explained, smiling at how Dick's mouth dropped at all the information. _There was wonder..._

"Could you teach me to do this?", Dick said as he watched the last of plates wash themselves in the sink. _There was magic..._

"That can be arranged", Simon said as he ruffled Dick's hair. "But it would take some time to teach you this specifically, you could accidentally blow something up."

Simon stopped talking immediately, spinning around to look at the boy. Simon was well aware of the trauma that being reminded of oneself's death can bring to a revived.

He winced slightly as he watched Dick's gaze blank out completely. Simon put a hand on his forehead, feeling adrenaline run through him, giving him shocks of fear and concern.

 _Fuck. Fuck. Fuck! Why the fuck did I say that!?_ , Simon thought as he gritted his teeth in agitation at himself. That was until he was startled by Dick talking again, and the joyful and easy tone caught Simon completely off guard.

"Well, what's the easiest thing you can teach me?", Dick said excitedly as he looked up at a very confused-looking Simon.

 _Did I...miss something?_ , Simon thought as he watched Dick with a critical eye. He was certain he might have triggered a traumatic memory after the reaction Dick gave, but this attitude he held wasn't in the least bit… trauma oriented. _Was it?_

Simon would make it a point to look into it further in the future, but in the meantime distract Dick from any further risks of dissociative amnesia triggers.

Simon quickly thought of an answer to Dick's earlier question, now walking on eggshells.

"Floating would be the easiest", Simon responded, conscious to stay away from the word _flying,_ as it could trigger a dangerous memory from his former Nightwing career. "But I don't know if you want to- "

"I want to learn how to fly!", Dick said as he bounced up and down with excitement.

 _Okay, flying is a safe word to use_ , Simon noted in the back of his mind.

"Alright, I guess we can start learning it today", Simon said as he walked to the living room.

"Yay!", Dick yelled as he back flipped into the living room.

 _Even though he doesn't have any of his old memories, he still retains the muscle memory,_ Simon noticed as he watched the child backflip to here and back, slightly in awe with nostalgia accompanying it. _Well at least I know he is still quite the acrobat I met that day._

"Alright, climb on the couch so we can start", Simon said as he stood in front of said couch. Dick jumped on the couch, tripping over himself a few times with his short limbs, eventually having Simon carry him up the couch.

"Alright, just try jumping off, but make sure to focus on the idea of flying", Simon said said he opened his arms. "If it helps, imagine yourself flying and jump, i'll catch you, trust me."

" m'kay", Dick said as he held onto his breath, thinking himself as a balloon and jumped. Dick kept his eyes closed all the while, hoping that he was actually flying like a balloon, but doubted it as he didn't feel himself move.

"Simon? It's not working", Dick said a bit disappointed, having let his breath go.

"It is", he heard Simon say. "Open your eyes"

"Huh?", Dick said in confusion as he opened his eyes and found himself, floating mid-air with Simon smiling up at him. Dick grinned as he flailed his arms a bit in the air, trying to fly closer to simon.

"See, told ya", Simon said as he extended his hand to him. Dick took hold of the offered hand and Simon walked around, guiding him around the apartment as he floated.

Little by little Dick began to fly his own way and till he completely let go of Simon's hand and soared around the place. Simon smiled as he saw Dick laughing and giggling at being able to fly on his own.

 _Straight out of a Disney movie,_ Simon thought to himself, tapping his chin a bit in feigned thought. _Now what could make this better?_

Simon hadn't flown in years, mostly because he liked teleporting more, but screw that sentiment at the moment. Simon allowed himself float and flew next to Dick, laughing along with him. Simon soon felt a tap on his nose from the younger, getting caught by surprise as he was claimed as 'it', starting a game of tag in mid air.

If Simon was asked what he remembered the most about that game, with all of its flurry movements and blurry vision in the chase, he'd answer that it was the sound of laughter. His most vivid memory of that moment.

It really was strange how a simple laugh or smile can make someone grow so attached to another being, even to the point in forgetting one's self for the other. But it was worth it. And for the moment everything was perfect, and then….

"Hey Simon", Dick said gaining his undivided attention. "I don't feel so goo- Ah!" Dick's body glowed before he decreased to the size of a toddler. Simon's eyes widened in horror as Dick started to fall to the ground before the older caught him and held him close to his chest. Simon felt a pang of sympathy as he felt a small frantic heartbeat under his hold.

"Right, I forgot about that", Simon said as he rubbed soothing circles on Dick's back. Dick eventually calmed down enough to look at Simon, big bright eyes staring up at plain grey ones, until bubbly laughter from the toddler filled the room.

"Again! Again!", Dick squealed in joy as he clapped his hands happily in Simon's direction. Simon sighed warily, but smiled at the kid anyway. He'd only known this child for a short period of time and he'd already lost count of how many times this kid was able to make him smile.

Call him crazy, but he's attached.


	5. Request for help

**THIS CHAPTER HAS BEEN REMASTERED***

-A year later-

In the depths of Mount Justice, the league and many other heros and heroines gathered in a meeting to discuss a current dilemma, a new villain. No identity, no leads, no nothing except a widespread connection with crime spreams, streaming all over the continent.

It was a cold case for most of the year, even the great detective himself, batman, had to admit this was a dead end. That is what drove the isolated vigilante to finally include the entire league in the investigation, albeit begrudgingly.

So far what was discussed between the gathered forces, ranged upon just common knowledge of the villian. That knowledge included the malicious nature of the man, more specifically the nature of a serial killer. As soon as someone reported spotting said serial killer, many people began going missing around the area and bloody bodies turning up everywhere.

The problem with the killings was that there was no theme.

All the murders were done differently, there was no evidence or signature of the killer, the age range, occupation, location, and race of the person didn't seem to apply as it spanned and varied with each body. The traditional murders done by current criminals didn't compare with this killing spree.

But one thing would be similar to all other cases, that it would be stopped and the killer would be convicted and under custody of the law. Justice would be served.

In one of the meeting rooms, Batman, Superman, Flash, Wonder Woman, Green Arrow and Martian manhunter were gathered to attempt to gain new leads on the case.

"This meeting has been called in place for the discussion of this arising death toll by an unknown assassin", Superman began as he took a seat in his chair. "From what we know this assassin has no direct motives except the intent to kill his victims."

"I've seen him a few times in starling city along with green arrow", Flash piped up as he rubbed his chin in thought, trying to recall more details about the murdered. "He never seems to reveal his face, but he seems to have supernatural abilities of strength and speed, the guy almost ran faster than me when I went after him."

"I tried shooting him with an arrow", Green arrow stated, an underlying edge in his tone. "It only passed through him, no damage at all."

"Nothing seems to stop him, anything we try it seems not not affect him, even magic", Wonder woman said, looking down at her cuffs. "It's like he doesn't even seem to be physically there."

"He also doesn't appear to be human", Martian manhunter began, monotone voice a bit perturbed. "I have tried to telepathically connect with him in the past, I have not succeeded like I have with humans"

"There have been a few incidents in some nearby cities involving this character", Batman said in his grave voice, stating pure facts. "One of the earliest was the explosion in one of the warehouses in Bludhaven."

"Could we not contact Nightwing to get further information on this?", Flash said, carefully choosing his words to not upset the bat. He was aware through Wally, that Batman and Nightwing had an argument about a year ago which had ended with Nightwing leaving Gotham once more. No one has seen the young vigilante since.

"We have contacted him before with no response", Batman gritted out, refusing to say further. He was infuriated in fact about the entire situation with Dick, even after a year apart. He couldn't even recall the argument they had, he could only remember Dick not wanting to be under the same roof with him any longer.

 _Stubborn,_ Bruce thought bitterly.

He assumed Dick was being difficult and didn't want to talk to him. He 'tried' sending Damian, Tim or Jason over to Dick's apartment to talk to him, and by 'tried' he meant that he would usually get told to go talk with Dick himself.

Luckily Damian had finally accepted, but he'd found Dick's apartment empty, he wasn't there. Bruce sighed, Dick must have been keen on avoiding them.

 _But that doesn't matter now, the mission matters_ , Bruce thought as he willed himself back into the conversation.

"But we have found another lead to who this vilain might be and how to stop them", Batman continued as he pulled up an image of the new vigilante. "His name is Simon Macabre, he has taken on the task of a vigilante, often crossing paths with him."

"So, he most likely has some familiarity with our mystery person", Flash said.

Batman nodded his head and went on to pull up his information, finding nothing very interesting apart from being a lawyer, a doctor and a scientist. "Continue the meeting without me, I am going to approach Macabre", Batman said leaving the meeting room before anyone could argue.

-9:49 P.M. Bludhaven-

Simon walked home with a nine year old Dick Grayson in hand and another grim reaper, Belladonna. Belladonna was a much younger grim reaper than Simon, he appearance striking when compared to Simon too. She had a more aquamarine monochrome outfit on, in short she looked like punk rock girl, while Simon kept it professional.

"Heyya boss, so what's with you buying pizza for us?", Donna asked twirling the box in the air playfully. "We don't eat food and i've never seen you buy pizza for me, Mary, Blake and Michael, or even yourself or the lil' tike."

Simon threw her a side glance while he carried another box of pizza and breadsticks.

"Well, I figured since you were all staying over at my apartment for the night, we might as well have refreshments, especially since my young one does consume food", Simon said as he looked down at Dick who still held his hand as he walked with a litter of soda pop. "Besides, it's not the pizza we wanted, it was just the- "

"Breadsticks!", Dick finished in a sing-song voice, earning a laugh from Donna.

"Right, the sticks made of bread", Simon finished smiling down at Dick.

"Oh, i've heard of those, they say they taste good with some marinara sauce or hot sauce, but I would prefer- ", Donna started, but went abruptly silent, both she and Simon sensing the presence of someone approaching.

Simon's eyes narrowed as he looked into the dark distance, his stance immediately grew stiff at watching something move. Apparently it didn't fly over Richard's head, as he quickly caught on to the fact that something wasn't right. Dick grew nervous.

"What's doing on da- Simon?", Dick said as his grip on Simon's hand got tighter.

"Belladonna, take him home", Simon said in a serious tone. He stood straight and tall as he kept his eyes on the dark figure in the distance, unwilling to shift his eyes away from it for long.

"On it boss", Donna said, knowing he only used her full name in serious matters. She took all the boxes in one hand and reached over to take Dick's hand, but he whimpered and held onto Simon's leg.

"Simon, what's going on?", Dick whimpered out, gaining Simons attention. The older grim didn't want to scare the younger, even less make him cry. Simon lowered down, intent on explaining the situation fully to the curious and scared child, hoping it would ease his nerves.

"Don't worry, everything will be okay, but I have to deal with someone who is approaching us", Simon said in a calm voice as he crouched down to hug Dick. Dick drank up any contact he had with Simon and the rest of his grim reaper and one demon family, now was no exception.

"You'll come home after this, right?", Dick asked, his question muffled by Simon's khaki coat.

"I cannot promise anything, but I shall always do my best to get home", Simon said pulling away from the hug and ruffling Dick's hair, giving him a gentle laugh .

"Ok, please stay safe", Dick said before kissing Simon's cheek and taking Belladonna's hand.

"Alright kid, let's teleport together", Donna said before stopping and looking down at the boy. "You know how to teleport, right?"

"Yup, I was taught by the best", Dick said, shooting a glance at Simon.

"Alright, teleport now", Donna said before a glow surrounded the two, in a mix of blue, eventually dissipating to show no source of the light. Except Dick had left the litter of soda pop on the ground.

Simon laughed good naturedly, standing up. _He still has a lot to learn,_ Simon thought as he shook his head at the lone bottle of pop.

Simon soon walked over and picked up the bottle, well aware there was something behind him.

"You know", he started. "It's rude to follow someone home, it's downright disturbing when that someone is dressed in a batsuit."

A figure stepped out of the shadows, revealing himself to be batman.

"Macabre, the league is in need of your assistance."

"Assistance? Last time I checked, i'm not a hero", Simon said as he raised a brow at the dark knight.

Simon honestly wasn't fond of supers. Their nature was always a hair away from hostile or on the offensive, having attacked a few of the reapers from another dispatch on terms of protecting the dying person in question. Superheros got in the way of their work more often than not, breaking several natural rules by reviving and rekilling those that shouldn't exist anymore.

The elder reaper was sick and tired of dealing with them on a daily basis, to have to work with one at such close proximity posed a bit of a problem for him. The problem grew even more, when he was the one hosting a child of theirs.

"We don't need you to be, we only need your knowledge on the murder spree in nearby cities." Simon's eyes widened by a hair, though the surprise was there.

Of course he knew about the killing sprees, he had been one of the few to investigate the bodies. There wasn't much out of the ordinary, except that as the days passed, more and more people began dying earlier than they should. Leading to more and more displaced souls in the system and overcrowding. There was only so much the grims could do, and being understaffed, they need all the leads and information anyone has.

 _Even if it's from a super_ , Simon thought begrudgingly.

"Your request... interests me", Simon said, keeping a collected facade that gave no emotion away.

"We shall encounter you when the time comes for your assistance", Batman said as he grappled away back into the darkness, leaving the reaper on scene.

Instead of immediately leaving, Simon stood watching the darkness around him once more, as if expecting something else to happen. Nothing did however, but even then Simon just stood there, pondering his next moves.

 _His presence could compromise our situation,_ Simon thought as he finally turned his head back to the forgotten soda bottle. _He was just getting better, they might get rid of all the progress he's done with us. And if they demand he come back with them?-._

Simon shook his head to clear his thoughts, he wasn't going to let anything like that happen. With a solemn and serious last look into the night, he summoned the light and let it engulf him to a better place. He doesn't like the dark.


	6. Happy 1 year!

*** THIS CHAPTER HAS BEEN REMASTERED!**

Light dissipates as soon as Simon steps away, finding himself in front of the door leading to his apartment. He goes to open the door but waits a moment before stepping inside.

He listens carefully.

From the inside of the apartment, he heard the group effort of people singing a happy birthday song.

Simon had to silently admit to himself it wasn't actually Dick's birthday, but more of a revival anniversary celebration.

Simon took a deep breath as he contemplated and entertained the thought.

 _A full year has gone by with Dick having joined us in the journey of a new life time,_ the old reaper reminisced the months that flew by with their new family member. _Family…._

A now familiar smile came to him as he contemplated the concept of the word.

There was no doubt in his mind that all the reapers found the young boy to be a part of their family, like a cousin they never knew about or a new baby.

Whatever the relation, there was such a strong affection in it, one that could never compare to a friendship or acquaintance.

Simon again had to admit that he honestly would never just be happy with a friendship with Richard.

He rather liked being regarded as a parental figure to the child. He'd caught Richard slipping the word "dad" or "papa" here or there when referring to the old reaper.

 _Ask me a year ago if i'd ever learn to live with hearing myself be called a "dad", i'd ask if they were crazy,_ Simon closed his eyes, chuckling as he shook his head at the silliness of it all.

 _Crazy, crazy, crazy…_

Simon was fairly aware that his closest comrades, the small group of four reapers, loved to behave like a family. They even adopted roles to include the newest member.

Mary was a sort of loving mother to Richard, playing and cuddling him when possible, nagging at Simon to feed, bathe and put him to bed. Offer to carry Dick, she will do it whether he's a grown man or a little boy.

She was a mother to Dick.

Belladonna was more of a rambunctious sisterly figure, whispering secrets and playing games with the younger, all the while keeping a watchful eye over Dick. If Richard asks her to play a game, she'll say, 'I'm ready when you are'.

She was a sister to Dick.

Michael was a worrisome brother, having worked with many children as a ice cream vendor, he understands the nature of children with his own nature of nurture. He sees Dick be upset, have no doubt that Michael will be there, worrying his mind off as he tries and cheers him up.

He was a brother to Dick.

Blake, the demon reaper, he's a different story. The brash man, is brotherly in the sense that he is there to mature the kid. Blake having been more exposed to a crueler world, gave warning and kept the child from harm, but explained his reasons to Richard. He leveled with the child in a way that was almost mysterious to him. Almost.

Blake was a brother to Dick.

Then there was himself, Simon Macabre.

He wasn't the most caring person. He wasn't the most companionable person. He wasn't the most nurturing person. He wasn't the most anything, really.

But he isn't Simon Macabre anymore after he found Dick.

He is the man that worried and cared is Dick was healthy and happy with him. He was the man that didn't mind having Dick talking to him on and on. He was the man that taught the child all that he knew about this world, teaching the younger all he wanted to learn and answering all Dick's questions.

He was the man who now spent his free time reading children's stories to a slumbering richard, taking the kid to the playground, reteaching the boy his abc's, hugging the child when he had a nightmare. For god's sakes he's not afraid to say the words, "I love you" to Richard when he says them back.

Simon was a father to Richard.

That's why Simon was here, waiting for the the last part of the song, which came as of right now…

He listened in ad he opened the door, "Happy birthday, dear Richard-"

"-Happy birthday to you!~", Simon finished the song as he walked in, litter of soda in hand. Everyone began clapping and laughing as Simon came in, smiles greeting him. At least until-

"Simon!", The little ebony haired boy yelled as he quickly jumped off of Blakes shoulders where he sat upon, running as he touched the ground.

Dick ran at full speed towards Simon and knocked him down as he gave him a large "Welcome home" hug.

"Hi Simon!", Dick said as he released the elder from his hug.

Simon stood up, laughing softly as ruffled Dick's hair, "Happy one year, Dick"

"Thanks Simon", Dick said with a large smile, before levitating off the ground. Whooping as Blake and Donna joined him in the air, Michael still sitting on the couch shaking his head.

"You're all gonna get hurt, you know?", Michael said as he got off the couch to grab a cup of soda. Just as soon as he got his drink, he did a spit take as he was slapped on the back of the head. Coughing while glaring, Michael looked up to see the three snickering down at him.

"Oh no! Look who got hurt!", Blake did in a mocking, higher pitched voice. "Oh no wait! It's just Michael."

The three began laughing, to say the least Michael wasn't laughing along, but he couldn't help but cross his arms and let a small smile slip by. The two elder reapers in the room watched the youth silently.

"I see those flying lessons have payed off", Simon said as he elevated himself over to the couch to sit next to Mary. The lady in red chuckled as she sipped on her own glass of pop, watching the flying repers make circles around the room, almost like a lazy game of tag.

After a while Simon let his eyes fall shut, basking in the moment in which his small piece of the world just seemed perfect. Him, safe in his home, his family at his side, celebrating a year's turn and a new part of their family. He was happy at the moment, but soon enough the peace slipped away as he felt Dick descend next to him, asking a question.

"Hey Simon?"

"Hmm?", the older hummed out, eyes still shut.

"What did that man want?", Dick asked which caused Simon to snap into focus and glare at Blake. There was no way Dick could have seen batman, unless the demon reaper did something to aid him.

"I may have taught him to spy on people through portals, hehe", Blake said laughing nervously. Simon hummed as his suspicion was answered with an 'affirmative'.

"Anyways, the man only wanted my assistance", Simon said, turning back to the child next to him.

"With what?", Dick asked, and all eyes landed on Simon for an answer as to why a man would approach him for help. The reapers watched the elder with an intensity and a heavy cloud of concern starting to settle into the room, ruining the celebratory mood that once resided in the room.

Simon sighed, he was never one to keep secrets or be a discreet person. He never lied to his family about anything or ever felt the need to withdraw information, even with a child present he didn't switch on a filter.

"With the murder spree occuring in the nearby cities, most likely the activity of demons", Simon says, not restraining any thoughts or facts, being fully honest and blunt as always. He dared lift an eye open, seeing the other reapers faces twist into near comical expressions.

Donna and Mary's eyes widened a considerably large amount, Mike's head whipped in concern to Blake, who was directing a glare to the other side of the room.

Blake was a demon, turned grim reaper. He was very familiar with the underground and hell itself, mostly the demons inhabiting it, all were often accused of being murderous animals. Blake wasn't especially a fan of the rumors and was a victim of prejudice and discrimination on both sides of a grim and a demon, it was just that. Grims and demons don't get along.

Now they were having issues with his kind and… well, things wouldn't go too smoothly in the future if they were to encounter them.

Simon sighed once more. The peaceful moment was completely gone.

"What are you going to do?", Dick asked, bringing him back to reality. That's when Simon looked around the room, to see everyone awaiting his answer. He sat up, posture poised and stoic.

"Give him the information he needs, ask him what he knows and we shall all put a stop to this murder spree", Simon said with pure determination. The family relaxed once again, content with Simon's plan. For now the celebration can continue.


	7. He finds out

***THIS CHAPTER HAS BEEN REMASTERED**

"Has anyone spotted or gathered any information on the serial killer?", Superman asked as he seated himself once more in the meeting room. A full week has passed and the murder activity has come to a near stop, but disappearances have skyrocketed in cities across New york and Pennsylvania.

The serial killer was still at work.

"So far, he's made no appearances in Gotham and Bludhaven, though people have still gone missing in gotham", Batman said, scowling at how he had failed to prevent more 'kidnappings'.

There were no traces of any kidnappers and the trails always went cold. They were planned and coordinated in a way that left absolutely no clues, no ways to stop this man.

There was nothing at all.

"People have also gone missing in our cities", Flash said gesturing to himself and everyone else. The kidnappings have been affecting everyone.

People were afraid to step out of their homes, several hundreds of families mourned their loses and the heroes were running ragged in attempts to keep people safe…

And yet their efforts were all in vain as the cemeteries filled with more headstones.

"Hey, batman, haven't you contacted this Simon guy to help us out?", Green arrow asked, rubbing a tired hand over his face, trying to will himself more into the conversation.

"Mr. Macabre has been reached out to and was told that he will be contacted again when he is needed", Batman said as he typed something into the holographic computer, eventually pulling up Simon's information again, looking for a phone number or contact information. The bat's eyes narrowed as he intended to begin calling the man.

His actions were interrupted however, as a white glow filled the meeting room, diminishing to reveal Simon standing stoically in the middle.

"I could sense that you needed my assistance", Simon said as he walked over to the table, his eyes landing on the people at the table, eyes narrowing in near hostility. The room kept quiet, watching the embodiment of death, stride through the room.

Martian manhunter quietly tried to connect with Simon, receiving no results. The martian remained quiet however, the revelation hadn't surprised him much, had expected it.

Simon, sensing a disturbance, threw a glance at the martian.

 _Telepathic connections with me? How crude of these invasive, nosy mortals,_ Simon thought to himself as he huffed lowly. But he would indulge the man, however not by the martian's rules.

" _Good evening, J'onn."_

The martian's eyes widened at this. _The…. He, spoke to him. The reaper connected with him,_ Martian manhunter awed to himself. No human has ever entered his mind and spoke to him like that without him entering theirs. The martian in a slight panic shut down all his mental links.

Simon let his lip quirk upward, _Only fair for trying to invade my privacy._

"Yes, we are in need of your assistance", Superman said, his eyes narrowing at the strange man.

"Clark, do not let my form of entry trouble you", Simon said as he took a seat in an empty chair. Superman's real name startled everyone, how did this man know who he was?

"I'm a grim", Simon said, answering the question he telepathically extracted. "I know the names of every creature in the multiverse and more. Also, you only wear glasses as a disguise, it's not hard to tell, Mr. Kent."

"Back to the matter at hand, Mr. Macr-, Mack-, Mabred?", Flash questioned with a nervous smile, suddenly self-conscious with having an all-knowing being.

"Just call me by my first name, Mr. Allen", Simon said offering him a smile, at least the flash seemed humble enough to bear. Barry was always one for peaceful approaches.

"Can we please just use our hero identities!-", Wonder woman said getting slightly aggravated by Simon, but words dying in her throat as she saw the reaper stiffen. Simon then turned his sharp eyes to her, knives stabbing the wonder woman with slight nervousness under the reapers gaze. She wilted, "Mr. Macabre, if you would please?"

"Of course, my apologies, Wonder woman", Simon said bowing his head slightly, _and learn some respect_.

"Being a grim, Mr. Simon, is it possible you could give us a list of those who have passed away and details about them?", Green arrow asked, intrigued about the grim reaper in their presence.

"Of course", Simon said summoning a blue holographic plane in his hands, catching the hero's by surprise, well almost most of them.

Batman, in the meantime remained unsocial with Simon. Having something close to the face of death itself, was uncomfortable to him, as he has had bad encounters with it during his lifetime.

Death has always been a key part of his life. His parent's death, having been the catalyst to his eventual decent into an aggressive state of depression, expressed everyday as he goes out and captures criminals all throughout Gotham. Brute force exerted through violent punches and obsessive behavior in his work.

After he began adopting children, he slowly began to open himself up to a way out of his unhealthy lifestyle. But the adoptions, although his choice, originated from the death of two other parent's. Dick's parents.

A sore pang hit his chest as he thought about the Graysons. He watched helplessly that night, as another child suffered his parents being murdered by a mobster. A criminal.

Another death marked a change in his life. Dick grayson became his charge.

Then Jason. Another death that changed his life.

Tim and Damian. He didn't even know where to begin with them.

Somewhere along the line, things went downhill with Dick after Jason came back to life. Everyone wanted to go their separate way, they all wanted to split, eventually Dick and Jason left, but not without Dick and him having an argument.

He sighed in agitation. _Stubborn man_. Why can't Dick just respect his authority?

Batman's attention soon directed himself back to the holophane, avoiding his wandering thoughts all together, but still not comfortable with the murderer in the room. Whether it be his job or not, there was something sickening at the thought of a man slaughterer never having to face justice.

Simon finally enlarged the holo-plane enough so everyone could see the names and description of their deaths. Simon finally stepped away.

"Alright that should help you all enough, I better be on my way now", Simon said as he pushed his chair back into the table and walked to the end of the room. "And do not be weary, your identities shall remain a secret."

Simon then summoned a portal and walked through it leaving the room.

Batman then took the initiative to examine the names of the dead, looking for any correlations between them, any connections. The descriptions were following a pattern of deaths, explosions or something of the sort.

Batman scrolled over most of the recent deaths, finding that half of those that had disappeared, have died as well.

"How about we look to the earliest deaths caused by the serial killer", Flash said while looking over the names on the list, hoping Wally didn't do something to get himself there.

Everyone silently did the same, watching for family members, to their relief there was no one close to them on the list.

Batman nodded to the rest as he finally scrolled all the way back to the warehouse explosion. He personally had investigated the scene, strangely no one seemed to be present in the area, yet there was a death recorded on the list.

Reading the name, batman… no, Bruce swore his heart stopped. The rest of the hero's eyes widened in shock and pure grief at the words on screen. It read, " _Richard John "Dick" Grayson- Died in the explosion of the Bludhaven warehouse in the early hours of the morning, a year ago…..."_

His son was dead…


	8. Coping and clouded judgement

*** THIS CHAPTER HAS BEEN REMASTERED**

After the shocking revelation of Dick's death, the league continued on with the meeting as if nothing occurred, but they were really trying to deny that it was true. Yet, the more they looked into the names, the more they realized with sinking hearts that all the names recorded were accurate. _Deadly accurate._

Dick has been missing for a year, his apartment was empty, nothing remained of him, he could been attending to the massive explosion. But the 'could' was a definite as the name filed out and answered all the questions. And there was no doubt.

All the dots connected perfectly. Perfectly.

Once all the leaguers were about to depart in the zeta beams, they said their goodbyes and quiet condolences to Batman, who received them with a nod each time.. Superman however stayed behind, watching his ambiguous ally with a silent admiration.

 _He's taking it all in stride_ , The man of steel thought to himself as he continued watching from a distance, before turning to leave, an excuse of work coming into mind to avoid his own grief for as long as possible.

Batman had also stayed behind and went to the computer room to find anything, anything to prove to himself that Dick wasn't dead. Once inside, he immediately pulled up Dick's travel accounts and anything of Dick's that had a tracker on it, only to find nothing except it's last reading. The last time the tracker was active was in the warehouse, and Dick's last trip was years before his supposed death date.

It became a routine.

Once all the league members were gone for the day, he would resume his search for evidence, debunking evidence. Any information he had available to him was used and never cast aside, he held onto the years of training Dick had undergone under him and all that time he had taught him how to survive. He had to have survived.

A night turned into a day, a day into a week, and week into a month. A tired, blurry month.

After several hours more of research on yet another day, he felt a hand rest on his shoulder.

Not looking up he spoke.

"He's not dead, Clark." His voice gruff, frustrated, strained all in a sentence, the jagged edge in his speech however was missing. Bruce was exhausted. Not once had he allowed himself to grieve or talk about this with anyone else, denying or avoiding the subject matter until he gathered more proof. He didn't give himself a break.

That broke the man of steel's heart just a bit more.

"As much as I also want to believe that Bruce", Clark said, sounding more tired than he ever has in years. "There doesn't seem to be anything to disprove it."

Bruce remained quiet looking forward as if he hadn't heard him, but he did and... Clark was right. There was no evidence to say he wasn't, he had just disappeared, people don't just disappear. Dick didn't disappear, but he didn't go anywhere, he wasn't missing, he was dead.

"Go home, Bruce", Clark said as he began to exit the room, tall, strong frame seeming blocky and static as he walked away. "Your family will need you more than ever."

Clark finally exits the room, leaving the stoic bat alone in the computer room, distraught more than ever as the realization of Dick's death weighed down on him. He won't ever get to see or talk to Dick again, he can't ever be with him again, he'll never go home again.

And with those final thoughts, he turned off the computer.

Numbly, he walked to the Zeta beam and teleported back into the cave.

 _Recognized- Batman 01_

The cave was always dark and cold, but it felt just…. Dead. No sounds echoed in the cave, no bats in the air nor any robins in the lair. Nothing.

After changing into more comfortable clothes, he went upstairs and headed to his room, blindly walking on instincts. On the way, he saw from the corner of his eye, Damian and Tim watching a movie.

Bruce's eyebrows burrowed further, _How is it that they can be so calm and ignorant of what just happened? What had happened? What_ _ **I**_ _didn't notice?_

Bruce winced slightly and continued walking again, trying to retreat to the refuge of his room.

Of course, being trained to be extremely perceptive of his surroundings, Damian had noticed him and turned to address him.

"Hello father", Damian greeted.

"Hey Bruce", Tim said while still looking at the movie.

Bruce grunted in acknowledgement, he wasn't in the right emotional state to talk to anyone, however it seemed that the boys took no notice. They turned back to their movie, as if nothing else really mattered.

"Where is that imbecile Grayson?", Damian muttered under his breath making Bruce freeze in his tracks. Bruce sharply turned his head to look at them.

"Yeah, i've texted the dumbass a bunch of times, must've blown up his phone again", Tim said, unknowingly making the tired man grind his teeth. _How dare they?!_

Blood boiling and still keeping his temper under control, Bruce detoured himself back to the batcave, away from his sons to keep himself calm. But just as he was about to leave, he heard Alfred call out to him, "Master bruce, do you have an idea of where master Dick might be?"

By this point, Tim muted the TV and all attention was on him. He desperately wanted to say he didn't know where Dick was, but he did. If he tried to lie to them, they would eventually figure it out, the situation would only get worse from there. After a deafening silence he spoke,

"Dick has passed away", his voice came out cold and cruel.

The soft sound of Tim dropping the remote on the carpet, Alfred's low gasp and Damian's harsh movements in standing up, filled the otherwise quiet room.

"That can't be possible!", Damian rored in anger. It was no secret that Damian had a soft spot when it came to Dick, no matter how much Damian pushed the older away with threats of violence, he never wanted Dick in harm's way. Especially not to this degree. Never to this degree.

His death would come with pain to Damian, pain that manifested into a violent anger.

"It is, he died in the warehouse explosion.", Bruce said, displaying a stoic face but really trying to contain a sob of awful realization. Dick has been dead for a year and no one in his family, the people closest to him, knew he died. Not even him.

"That was a year ago…", Tim's eyes widened in pure horror as he too realized he didn't know about this. How freely they were joking about Dick blowing up something, when he DIED by an explosion itself. Tim felt horribly sick at that moment.

"YOU'RE LYING HE ISN'T DEAD!", Damian yelled, his eyes stinging as he began to connect the dots. Dick's disappearance, the explosion in a Bludhaven warehouse, no notes, no texts, nothing… The world had imploded on Damian.

The boy then ran up to Dick's…. former room and slammed the door, locking it and slumping against it. Punching the ground below him, threatening it silently, and cursing whoever had dared take away his older brother. He had just gotten a real family and now it was being taken away from him, all over again.

Damian sat there, muscles clenched and fists on the ground, head forcefully pushing back at the door. At that moment, he felt nothing but hate for the world, the world that took the only person he felt comfortable with and killed him. He felt anger at the fact that he'd just trapped himself in his closest friend's room and prevented himself from going out there and doing anything. And finally, he felt sadness. A horrible, gut wrenching feeling of sadness.

There, the young boy began to cry, begging the world he hated to bring back his brother.

Downstairs, Tim had quickly gone into another room and immediately contacted Jason, quickly explaining everything to him as he ran his hands through his hair. He restated all the facts he knew, all the cruel facts in such a disgustingly calm facade, just like he's always done, just what he's always been. A man of practicality and logic. And he never has hated himself more for it.

After Damian ran up to his room, Tim had, in a rapidly declining bravado, demanded that Bruce tell him all the details. He had walked up to his adoptive father and demanded he tell him what he knew, something he's never done before.

BRuce had turned to him and with a cold, hostile look, he's never seen Bruce give to a criminal, directed at him, he froze. His words got caught in his throat as he recoiled under the glare, Bruce's looming presence made him grow incredibly anxious and nervous. Bruce finally responded to him with a deep snarl.

" _He's dead Tim. Try all you want to find the evidence to disprove it, but you won't find it. Just like I couldn't find it."_

He was shaken by the mere declaration of Dick's death, but at that mere challenge to prove Batman wrong, he was an absolute wreck. He wanted to so badly just look over all the details himself and find anything to be able to say that 'Dick's alive', but he couldn't, Bruce said he couldn't do it. What chance did he have?

Even if he did try and look over Dick's case, he probably wouldn't be able to stomach it right now. Hell, he wasn't sure he'd ever be able to. It was too personal, too close, he was too attached.

For that, he'd never felt so disgustingly useless in his entire life.

It had been different back then, when he watched Dick's parents die, when he watched his own family disintegrate, when he thought Bruce had died. That was different. He'd actually been helpless in a natural sense, he'd still been a kid. He couldn't do shit about what happened.

Even when Bruce died, he still had people by his side, one of the primary being Dick. After they lost Bruce, there was no one to take charge.

He had his own investigations to do so he couldn't be here 24/7 at the manor as a leading figure, Jason and Damian couldn't either.

Damian still needed to be trained and cared for by someone other than Alfred, the old butler couldn't do it all himself. And Jason couldn't stand him or Damian for more than half a minute without threatening to shoot one of them.

Someone still needed to make sure the family didn't fall apart again, someone who could take charge, someone who could take it with a grain of salt. Someone who could be their batman.

Dick took up the mantel.

He stepped up and took care of everything. He even remembered when Dick sat with him all night after the pressure of Bruce's death finally caught up with Tim and made him break down. Dick didn't speak, not a word, he just sat there and listened to Tim ramble all while handing him a cup of cocoa. That was the worst, and best night of his life. A heavy weight was lifted off his back that night and Dick carried it all with him.

 _God…_ Tim thought to himself as guilt crashed onto him strongly, making him sob halfway into his explanation to Jason. He heard the man on the other side say something rapidly, before hanging up.

Jason was on his way. And Tim was grateful for it, but it wasn't Dick who was coming home. It would never be Dick who was coming home.

Jason on the other line had his mind go blank as he dashed out of his apartment, motorcycle keys in hand. He didn't take the time let himself do anything else, not even think about what has happening. He couldn't afford to think about what was happening. He couldn't.

But as soon as he he was in a red light on the street, motorcycle revving but not moving, he gave way to thought.

 _Dick was dead? A whole year, dead?,_ Jason thought to himself grimly. He never really thought that the golden child, as he liked to call Dick, would die. He honestly never even considered the idea of him being dead for over a year without anyone's notice. He smiled to himself in s soft, twisted way as the light turned green on the stoplight, continuing to drive again.

In a sick way, he was satisfied. Someone had gotten it worse than him. A death from an explosion just like his, but this time, no one came to save Dick. No one was there late, because there was no help on the way. And then no one was even aware of the death, he just passed away and the world continued without him, just like his own passing, except he came back for another chance, Dick… He didn't get one.

Jason's eyes widened as he jerked his cycle to a stop as he rushed back into reality, realising there was another red light. He skidded to a close stop as rushing cars went by not even a few centimeters from him.

He blinked a few times before letting his head fall into open hands.

God, he was _sick_. He shouldn't be thinking like that. Not after everything he'd gone through. Dying like that was bad enough, but how horrible must it have been if no one even knew he died. Bruce was at least on his way for him. Dick had no one, but he was always there for everyone.

When Jason had come back, intent to murder the joker still in his system and hatred for Bruce still strong, it was Dick who let him take his anger out on him. It was Dick who sparred with him and took his beatings when he was experiencing his rushes of mood swings from resurrection, the one who led him back into that light, after emerging in a dark world. Jason needed Dick in those times, and Dick was always there for him.

But now he wasn't. No one was there for him anymore.

Finally the green light came back on, and he drove on his way to the manor.

Meanwhile Alfred looked at Bruce solemnly, knowing how hard Bruce must be taking the information of his dead son, he himself, certainly was taking it hard.

"I shall be… working Alfred", Bruce said as he walked stoically back into the batcave, no other words for his old friend. The butler could only nod and stay in place, closing his eyes in a wave of emotional exhaustion.

And in that moment, Alfred could only try and think back to the years of Richard's youth, trying to grasp at any fond memories he had with the boy. But he couldn't, as soon as he thought of the young man, he caved in his sorrow, sitting down slowly and frailly, as he put a hand to his temple and took in shaky breaths.

He couldn't even stomach thinking about him, that alone made the old butler begin to weep.

As the brooding millionaire made his way to his the cave, he finally let grief begin to overcome him in a sense. He no longer felt numb, but in pain. Strong, strong, pain.

His chest began to ache as the threat of tears almost caught him in the elevator. He pushed anything he felt down as the elevator came to a stop, the jerk of the machine as it descended, making him bite his lip to fight the sobs making their way up his throat.

The doors opened revealing the cave once more, only this time a bat would be occupying its space for a while. Bruce went over to his chair and sat down, delving into more research, he wasn't done yet. Disregarding what he'd said to Tim, he continued to type away at his keyboard over the next several hours.

Dick can't be dead. He can't be.

After another hour, Bruce's focus began to shift around the room erratically and desperately, making it harder and harder to keep hope, to keep searching. But he couldn't look at the screen of his computer anymore.

He had been trying to capture some footage of the explosion, he was successful, but after dissecting it further he saw Dick was really in the warehouse…. Just as it exploded.

He replayed the video, over and over again, waiting for something different to happen in any of the reruns, but videos don't change, they're just moving picture depicting something that has already happened. Dick's death happened.

It was right there in black and white, the CCTV camera footage right there. Concrete, solid, undisputable, true, real, cruel evidence. His son was dead.

Bruce's tired eyes finally landed on a picture of him and Dick both together. It was taken a bit after he became robin. He just had the goofiest smile on his face, using his cape to imitate batman in a poor attempt, while Bruce only smiled slightly under his batman costume.

Bruce took hold of the picture in his hands, running his thumb over Dick as he saw a bit of dust on the picture. Bruce, in a moment of weakness, began to cry and he shoved the picture to his chest, rocking slightly. He didn't find any comfort in what he was doing, only grief at how badly he had failed. He was a failure as a hero and a father to his loosely knit family.

The thoughts echoed in his head as he sat there weeping pitifully in the silent, empty cave, not even the bats bats made a noise as they knew it wouldn't help a grieving bat.

A month passed as the Wayne family had still continued to grieve, however Bruce had hardened his resolve with focusing on work and the current murder spree. Countless times, Alfred had tried to get him to leave the cave, eat, rest, anything but wasting himself on unhealthy emotional restrains. But he deserved worse, he deserved far worse. A year… A WHOLE FUCKING YEAR… _he didn't even know..._

Bruce blinked rapidly as he refocused and forgot about _it_ , typing away at his computer, a welcome distraction. He reviewed all information gathered in the last few meetings with Simon, however a warning he had given them in their last meeting caught his attention.

" _So we are to go in pursuit of the murderer-", he said, interrupted as SImon abruptly got up._

" _No", he said coldly. "You are not to pursue, even less instigate him. I will handle this case and you shall NOT INTERFERE"_

Frustration and anger were on the rise with himself and there was no outlet to release it. In an act of defiance he had continued to work on the case despite his better judgement.

A punishment was in action however.

It became a routinely punishment, letting the mocking video of the first death, Dick's death, play once more… thoroughly. It was part of the investigation, he knew, but as he studied the footage he reminded himself constantly about his failures. Making himself look upon what his mistakes led to. What he did.

He opened his stinging eyes to look at the screen, anxious to punish himself for letting this all happen no matter how much it hurt. He once again watched Dick in the explosion, but then he noticed something different this time around… the body was launched away by the explosion.

Bruce's eyes widened as much as they could, swollen from the tears making his eyes slightly sore. He watched as Dick's body landed back on the ground, zooming the video, he saw Dick laying on the ground. He was lying in a forming pool of his own blood, some body parts were missing, he had multiple burns over his body and face, his body was twisted and crooked and his costume was torn apart with the mask nowhere in sight. But even then, Dick was unrecognizable.

Bruce almost broke down again at the new revelation, _God what a horrible way to die.._ , but something interrupted him. A very familiar looking man appeared on screen, his trench coat sweeping and white hair visible by the glowing fire surrounding him and Dick. He was that grim reaper in the tower…

As Bruce tried to see what would happen next, a piece of debri had fallen on the camera, breaking it and stopping the footage. But the last thing he'd seen was the reaper raise his weapon, a scythe, then plung it down. He never say what happened after that, but he had a good feeling it was for the best.

Bruce sat there, he wasn't crying anymore, but his fists clenched and unclenched as he interpreted what he saw.

Dick didn't die…. That Grim reaper killed him!

In pure rage and anger, Bruce lifted a clenched fist and smashed it against his keyboard, punching a large hole into it and setting many keys loose.

 _HE TOOK AWAY MY SON!_

 **Please rate and review and stay tuned for more chapters and remastering.**


	9. False accusation

***This chapter has been remastered**

 **AN- I felt like this chapter was always lacking something. It always seemed to be too** **dialogue** **driven so I tried to balance it out. I hope you enjoy! Also please Rate and Review. I'd love to have feedback!**

Superman sat in his chair once more in the meeting room, waiting for others to settle so another meeting to begin, but today was different.

Batman at the moment was contacting the reaper again, but he seemed more hostile today. He knew Bruce had started letting grief take its course, it was clear after he finally took a month for himself.

He'd hoped Bruce was taking it easy now, but he didn't think he would move to anger this quickly.

Wonder woman, Flash, Martian manhunter and Green Arrow settled into their seats, today Black Canary joined them as well. They all threw worried glances at batman, watching him in under a critical eye as glowing white light filled the room.

Still surprising most of the league, Simon appeared from the light, but instead of walking undisturbed and poised like last time, he was tackled by the dark knight and held up a foot in the air by his neck. The league stood up from their chairs in alarm at the abrupt, violent act.

"You. KILLED. HIM", Batman gritted out in a hissed whisper, as he tightened his hold on Simon, who seemed unfazed by the outburst. Cold eyes boring into lensed, with an icy intensity.

"Batman-", Superman started, but his unstable friend growled at him, daring him to come a step closer.

"Batman, you are confused and assuming what you do not know", Simon began in smooth detachment, all while, grasping Bruce's hands and easily unclasping them from his neck with inhuman strength. "I don't kill, I can manipulated circumstances to lead to someone's death, but I don't kill directly."

"Nightwing could have survived the explosion", Bruce growled out, his looming figure boxing Simon in. "He could have-"

"He could, but he didn't. There is no avoiding death-", Simon interrupted sharply making all, except Batman, flinch violently. "-Just let it happen and see what happens next, hopefully those in charge feel those passing, deserve something better in the next life."

"Nightwing might have died", Batman began again, swallowing down a sickening lurch that his stomach gave at the words. "But his body was thrown by the explosion. You were near him, examining him and tampering with the body", He steps forward towering over Simon by just the tips of his cowl ears.

"Where is Nightwing? WHERE. IS. MY. SON?"

Simon thought over what he would say next.

There could be various consequences in the future, unfortunately grim reapers can't see into the future, only demons. On one hand, lying could only lead to the detective into delving into a deep investigation to find the body of his son, who was still alive and… mostly well.

Dick would be found, he could be charged with kidnapping, no matter if he arranged the adoption paperwork he filled out, they could potentially kill Dick without proper guidance of his new abilities. Even if they don't kill him, they will only raise him in a cold environment once again, only leading him into a deep depression, one in which he can't interfere with properly.

On the other hand, telling him the truth doesn't mean he has to give him Dick back. Since when does he take orders from a filthy, petty human?

"He is safe under my care", Simon said, beginning to walk away before Batman slammed him back into the wall. The leaguers considered interfering once more as the dark knight raised a fist, about to hit Simon as a threat to spill more information.

"He is well Bruce, there is no need to hit me to get your information", Simon said, not so much as flinching as he saw the dark vigilantes' fist shake in anger. "Unlike most, I don't find my information valuable to myself on this matter. Nothing is worth keeping a secret."

"You have not answered my question. Where. Is. He?", Batman gritted out once more.

Simon narrowed his eyes, before easily shoving Bruce off him and summoning a holoscreen of his own. Quickly, he contacted Dick, quickly losing his patience with caped crusader and his antics of gathering information.

 _I don't have to deal with this_ , Simon thought as his eyebrows furrowed in dissatisfaction.

The rest of the league went deadly quiet after Simon shoved the bat off himself with seemingly no effort.

No one ever dared defy or agitate the bat further that when he is already provoked, the only one mad enough was joker. Was he insane?!

Simon expanded the holo plane and let it float mid-air for everyone to see. A voice came through, Dick's voice as a teenager, he changed ages again.

"Hello? Simon?", Dick questioned through the plane. Bruce's eyes widened, he recognized that voice anywhere, it was Dick. Yet, he sounded younger…

"Yes, Dick?", Simon questioned, a smile finally grazing his features as the aggravation seeped off his voice. The league members' eyes widened and silent gasps and murmurs crossed the room, shock and disbelief written all over their faces.

"Simon, oh thank god you called!", Dick said relief coating his voice, as the sound of insulated shifting was heard in the call.

"Why? What happened?", Simon said eyes narrowing and his arms crossing, expecting a bunch of ridiculousness to be headed in his direction.

"Okay, so as you know that I'm not exactly like how I was when you left"

"Yes, your voice gave it away", the reaper commented as he raised a brow.

"Kay, so Blake put me in a box so I could play inside it, I grew and now i'm stuck!"

"Where is Blake and Donna?", Simon asked as he put his fist on his head, the first signs of a headache showing.

"Donna is trying to put the fire out in the kitchen."

Simon's eyes shot open.

"What fire?"

"Blake set the kitchen on fire after he went crazy on the stove, he summoned a scythe and hacked it repeatedly."

 _Goddammit!_ , Simon cursed silently. _That stove lasted me 10 years!_

"Blake?", he gritted out through clenched teeth.

"I dunno where he is. Yunno? Because i'm stuck in a box."

"I'll be home soon", Simon said as he massaged his temple, trying to keep his cool.

"How soon?"

"In an hour"

"Teleporting or flying?"

"Teleporting, don't worry. I'll contact Donna and tell her you're stuck and you need help getting out. Also, I have someone here who wants to talk to you", the reaper said as he quickly sent a holo message to the blue reaper.

"Dick?", Bruce questioned in disbelief, still trying to process what was happening.

"Simon, who is this?", Dick questioned, hesitance and insecurity leaking into his voice.

"He's batman", Simon responded, nonchalantly, there was nothing to be excited about really.

"Oh, i've heard about him", Dick said with recognition in his voice, Bruce's heart lifted, before it dropped again as Dick continued. "You also told me I was his ward _before_. Well, it's nice to meet you again, sir."

"Dick it's me-", Bruce tried again to speak to Dick.

"Yes, I know what your name is "

"Dick-", Bruce tried again before he was cut off, his heart sank.

"Oh, Sorry. I have to get going now, Donna is helping me out of the box. Have a nice day sir and…", Dick said, dropping formal facades before speaking once more, this time to the reaper, "be safe Simon"

"Of course, Dick", Simon responded with sincerity, a happy smile on his features.

"Goodbye.", Dick ended the call with a happy chirp.

Bruce stood silently staring at the holoplane as the call ended, _What happened?_


	10. An angry father

***This Chapter has been remastered!**

 **AN- Alright! Alright! I'll get the new chapter out soon. Just let me get the hang of better writing techniques and let me polish up these chapters! Anyways Rate and Review. I'll get a going!**

Simon shut off the holo-plane as soon as the call ended,

"Let's continue with the meeting and the problem at hand", Simon said without skipping a beat. "We can discuss this later."

Begrudgingly, Bruce agreed and let the meeting continue, but glared at the reaper throughout the meeting. As the meeting came to a close, Batman waited for everyone to depart the room, no one moved from their seat.

Glares were sent in Simon's direction, still indifferent he spoke, "I understand, Dick is like family to you, he is important to you. You wish to know what has become of him."

Superman responded first, "Dick survived the explosion, we would like to know-"

"No", Simon interrupted him, putting a finger up to silence him. "He didn't survive. No one could survive from an explosion like that, otherwise you aren't human."

"Then how is he still here, if he didn't die?", Flash was quick to pipe in, eager to find out what happened to the kid. He shrunk a bit on his seat as the reapers gaze landed on him.

"I revived him", Simon simply stated, raising an eyebrow at Flash. _Did everyone really think he'd kill them with a gaze, just like that?_

"How?", Batman asked, gritting his teeth in remembering the lazarus pit method. He had seen how that took a toll on Jason, he didn't wish for Dick to have gone through the same thing.

"His death was not on schedule, ideally, he would have lived for a long time under his healthy physique, the only interference would be outside forces or... mental health", Simon cooly stated, but clenched his hands in rising anger. "Anyways, I was able to manipulate the soul into reviving the body, however, it did take a toll on his age, mindstate and health."

"How did you do that?", Barry asked, being a scientist his curiosity had sparked. The other leaguers leaned forward just a hair, intrigued as well.

"Inconveniently, that is information I cannot lease out to mortals", Simon said, looking at the people in the room with judgemental eyes as he read their minds. "Because you humans take information and use it for your devices.

He paused for a beat, before his voice turned grim with an underlying reprimand, " **This isn't a manual for toys you can simply replace, this is a matter of bringing back that which cannot be replaced**."

"What changes were made to him?", Wonder woman asked, overlooking the grim's comment for the moment in awkwardness.

"His age fluctuates in no specific order, but does have a schedule in which it fluctuates every week or so", Simon respond simply, having to give that explanation to many Grim reapers and the occasional demon from time to time. "He has special supernatural abilities as well"

"What kinds?", Clark, superman, asked as he leaned forward a bit in nervousness and anxiousness.

When he had found out about the superboy clone, Connor. He was ultimately displeased that someone else had his type of kryptonian power, a potential threat and a personal insult to his name and symbolism, a danger. Concern wracked at him as he imagined what Dick could do with the same level of power or greater… Any hope he had died as Simon answered his question…

"It's a lengthy list and I would much rather not waste my time naming what he knows and possesses and what **I** could _teach_ him", Simon cooly stated as he adjusted his glasses.

He was quite done with the ignorance and mediocrity these humans possessed. He would much rather help Dick out of a box and put out a fire, than be here and deal another minute with these damn animals.

In the meantime, Bruce was quickly running out of patience with this… demon. His words had struck a chord in him, " _what_ _ **I could teach him"**_. He was suddenly thrown back into the memories of his and Dick's training, their memories.

Suddenly, Bruce's thoughts came crashing violently as Simon spoke again. "As well as new abilities, his mind became altered as well. He retains no memories of his life before resurrection, his memories are as good of those from the dead."

Silence….

" **No memories of his life…"**

" **Retains no memories…"**

" **His memories are as good as those from the dead…."**

The words silently bounced in the room and no one dared talk for fear of their reaction, as if time had stopped and they refused to let it continue.

Soon, time started up again as a small beeping noise was heard in the room, drawing everyone's attention to the watch on Simon's wrist. Simon pressed a button and nonchalantly rose from his chair, swiftly, but quietly pushing it back in effortlessly. It was time for him to leave, he was done here for today.

Although he couldn't help but admit that he enjoyed annoying the pesky little humans with his blunt remarks. _They really didn't get when to quit._

He was almost about to teleport out, but a hand flew out and attached itself to his shoulder. _They really don't._

Sighing exasperatedly but not turning around he spoke, "You want to see him again don't you?"

"I want my son back", Bruce's voice said, a command lingering in the tone. Simon's annoyance skyrocketed, soon manifesting into outrage. HOW DARE A LOWLY HUMAN TELL HIM WHAT TO DO?!

"My answer is no", Simon said as he shrugged the hand off himself. "You do not have legal custody over Dick, no adoption papers.

Dick is technically an adult's age with his years on this earth, meaning he has no need for terms of custody over him, and being that he has fluctuated in age, turning into a child at certain points and you being absent for over six months, you have committed child abandonment."

Simon said as he pulled something out of his trenchcoat. "I however do have adoption papers and have made efforts to ensure his health and safety."

He handed the papers over to the dark knight, smirking as a deep scowl formed on the other. The papers were all in order.

"And , you are very lucky I haven't reported you, for as you can already tell, I don't take too kindly to you. My generosity has been a bountiful river, but that doesn't mean in can't go dry..."

As he walked a few paces forward, thinking he had come out on top, he was frozen in his spot as a dangerous threat was uttered.

"Then we shall go in pursuit."


	11. Ranting and Remenicing

*** This chapter has been** **remastered** **!**

 **AN- Oh boy, this one was a bit of a mess when I looked at** **it** **. I was able to make it more readable though. I hope this is good. Anyways Rate and review and carry on with your wonderful day!**

Simon mumbled to himself in annoyance as a week later he found himself preparing to teleport back into Mount Justice.

Fumbling with his tie as he looked in the mirror he became distracted, remembering the agreement he made with the bat. He had agreed to let him see Richard again from time to time, but he wouldn't return custody to the bat.

He'd never return custody. Let that be known.

This eventually led to an agreement as they but had each other against the wall, literally on his end. He had a few rips on the collar of his favorite shirt….

Not only that, but he was stuck working with them on the murder cases now, and he had to practically babysit them as to stop them from doing anything stupid.

Especially since Batman just had to be the one who gets his way! Threatening to confront the killer head on and making Simon subbert to his demands.

 _Damn him!_ , Simon thought to himself, as he hastily ripped the stupid tie off his neck in frustration, throwing it on the ground. Absentmindedly noting that the tips of his fingers were coated in an angry fire.

"The killer is really is out for more than blood, isn't he?", Mary said as she came up behind him, picking up the discarded tie. "And you're mad again, aren't you?"

She walked up to him, handing him back the tie, waiting for him to respond. He sighed.

"Seem as if that is so, but if not for blood, then what?" Simon responded looking down at his tie, not even surprised he left burn marks all over it. "As for being upset, you would be correct."

"You're also afraid", Mary said as she sofly turned him around and slipped off his tie. "I just don't get why. You told Dick the whole truth about his life before this one, he knows what happened and he isn't mad at you or anyone. He is perfectly happy, what could possibly-"

"I am afraid he would want to go back to them", Simon interrupted as he took hold of bloody Mary's hand, which was on his cheek.

"DIck is a wonderful person, even with all his faults. Yet he insists on believing in this planet and it's ignorant pests. Humanity is a parasite, a self destructive, meddling, hivemind of morons!

"They think that what they do shall make up for all the mistakes they've ever made in the past, but- and forgive my language- fucked up more than they've fixed.

"Atomic bomb drops, radiation poisoning, slavery, Kidnapping, assassinations, murders, starvation, executions, shootings, rape, genocides, wars for lowly dirt for god's sake!

"And the list goes on and on!

"And they think that all they can do is go, 'oops, sorry. Here let me try and do something on the mild scale to fix the countless amount of damage. Here we go i planted a tree. That should fix everything!' Yet, this sweet little child gives a damn about them! And this is how they repay him!? He-"

"He deserves better because he's one of us", Mary finished for him bluntly as she straightened the new tie she fixed for him. "Because we have the power to give him a good life, but you fear his love for these possessors of life will make him turn down your offer. Because you want better for him, because he's one of the only people YOU do give a damn about?"

Simon looked away, pointing his gaze to a picture of him and Dick eating an ice cream sundae, well at least Dick was, he just had ice cream on his nose.

He remembered that day.

He and Dick were going to the park, Dick was only five then.

They had seen a little girl be lured away from the playground by a random man, and swiftly Dick ran towards him and knocked him over. Simon ran over to his little boy and the little girl he had just saved.

The dazed man soon turned around to try to hit Dick, but instead saw a very angry looking Simon looking down upon him. In the blink of an eye, Simon summoned handcuffs and restrained him, calling the cops right after.

It had turned out this man was a known pedophile and kidnapper that had been in hiding for sometime after his failed arrest and was responsible for three child murders.

Needless to say, he was proud of Dick, though a bit upset at what danger Dick had put himself in exposure to saving a petty child.

The cops arrived along with a very crossed mother, who actually yelled at Dick for getting her knee and elbows scrapped after he tackled the man and saved her kid. It was a surprise that he didn't yell at the woman for yelling at his kid, but it wasn't surprising when he snapped his fingers and sent her car ablaze.

Dick had later come up to him, upset and confused.

What really broke his heart was what Dick said to him, "Simon, I did something bad. The woman was mad, and I don't know how to fix it! Please tell me how to fix it."

Simon sat down and explained to him that he did nothing wrong, and even then he did more good than he did bad. Samaritan laws, was what people called it.

He explained the woman was ignorant and ungrateful, much like other humans he would encounter in his long life. After explaining some more to Dick, he offered him to go to Michael's ice cream shop for a bit. After calling his blonde grim friend, they made their way over.

"Hey, there's the little hero boy I heard so much about!", Michael said as he carried a sundae over to the table for Dick. "Here, it's on the house for the hero."

He handed it over to the ebony haired boy, and Dick smiled once more, the woman's cruel actions forgotten as he dug in. Simon smiled warmly at the younger grim, nodding in thanks to him, receiving a shining smile from the curly haired blonde.

"Michael, would you mind taking a photo of us?", Simon asked him as he handed him his phone.

"No problemo, Simon", Michael said as he took the phone. Motioning them so they could fit into the frame. "Alright now everybody say 'cheese!'" Just then Simon felt his nose be coated with a bit of ice cream and he looked over to see Dick smearing it on him. He let out a hearty laugh at they little boy and Dick let out a happy giggle.

They both turned to the camera and said 'Cheese!'

Simon smiled warmly at the picture and looked back to Mary, her expression soft and happy. He ran a hand through her long brown hair and planted a short kiss on her cheek. "I suppose you're right, luv", he said as he pulled back. " I just worry."


	12. Surprise call

***This chapter has been remastered.**

Teleporting into the building of heroes once more, Simon took a deep intake of air.

Sure he didn't need it, but a lot of people said it calms down "the nerves". He doesn't have nerves either. He isn't even nervous, he's feeling indifferent again. He just feels numb.

It was more of a passive boredom that went through his mind. He had been, seen and done almost anything this world could offer.

400,000 years give you that opportunity.

But his excitement with the world grew old, he outgrew earth's "surprises", and didn't bat an eye at most things on this planet.

That also applied to most planets in the universe, he had visited several billions of systems, but they only ever showed a relative similarity to the already boring earth.

The pesky humans on earth though were plain irritating and obnoxious, he had made that perfectly clear. No wonder they all get reincarnated back to this god-forsaken piece of dirt.

Finally deciding to enter the building, Simon was followed by the gazes of many people in the hallways.

The reaper wasn't particularly in a good mood for their judgmental, pish-posh attitudes today, however.

Needless to say, they all soon looked away as Simon sent a dark, murderous glare in their directions.

Talk about if death had a face...

Entering the meeting room he saw only a few members today, though he wasn't lucky enough to have the bat be absent. There he was, sitting in his chair with the most impassive face one could ever see, all with the posture of a looming gargoyle.

Oh joy.

Walking over he waved his finger around, pulling back a chair for himself and sitting down. The meeting began almost immediately with Mr. Kent, or superman as he liked to call himself, giving the opening for discussion.

They told him about the last few sightings of the murderer and Simon told them what he'd already had into action. An all out manhunt, all his reapers on the lookout and ordered to pursuit.

After consulting with some soul-keepers, he'd been able to center in the suspects. Not having much except being certain it was a demon or a rogue reaper.

Grims have already tracked down a few accomplices, humans. He wouldn't be surprised if the demon offered them eternal life or riches beyond their belief. It was just a pile of beautiful lies to get people on their side.

But the progress wasn't enough for shit. People were still disappearing and dying, but the numbers were going down by slim percentages. Not enough was being done and the supers wanted in on the action, and Simon didn't know how much longer he could keep them on leashes.

Batman was a problem all on his own as well.

Dick wasn't interested in meeting the billionaire Bruce Wayne, and to a certain degree Simon was pleased with the sentiment, but at the same time it was frustrating. He had to somehow give Batman a satisfying amount of contact, at least enough to leave his family be.

At least Dick had a say in this and said no, if he'd had no voice, well then custody matters would have to be arranged. He didn't want to have to do that, so he'd have to arrange for a call after the meeting to get Dick to tell his former guardian that.

Simon consumed in his thoughts, let the voices in the room drown out and fade, resting his chin on his clasped hands. Batman watched him silently, he could tell he'd had a lock on him since he entered the room. Needless to say, Simon didn't like that idea, however he knew better than to voice it.

His eyes narrowed once more and seemingly locked his jaw in place, probably for the best. Soon the rather peaceful meeting was interrupted by a holo-plane opening up in front of his face.

Blinking once in surprise, he took a quick glance around the room.

All the attention was on him.

Sighing, he pressed the plane once and he was bombarded with a screeching like noise on the other end. Soon he actually understood what language was being spoken, their afterlife tongue.

"English please", Simon gritted out as he pinched the bridge of his nose, headache imminent from the barrage of noise. The voices settled down again from their previous panic.

"Um, sorry. Uh", Mike's voice came through. "Uh! OH GOD! We have a situation!"

"What did you do this time?", Simon said as he flicked his wrist, gesturing to explain himself.

"Um, age regression, BUT IT'S MORE THAN I CAN HANDLE!", Mike yelled through the holo-plane as his voice was drowned out by screams. "Hey! PUT THAT DOWN!"

The sound of crashing pots and something similar to Blake yelping made Simon groan as he put his head in his hands.

"Bring him over", Simon muttered as he mentally cursed the grims in his house. _May lightning strike them dead where they stand_. "Bring the bag of supplies as well. If it's needed."

"It's needed", Michael responded in a rushed fashion, Simon sighed. _It's not a good sign._

Hanging up he, looked around the room, seeing the attention was on him.

In a second he read their minds, and speak of the devil, the Flash opened his mouth to ask a question.

"Look", Simon said as he just rubbed his temples, cutting off Barry. "Do not ask."

A portal suddenly opened up glowing a faint yellow, Michael was coming through. As the blonde walked through the portal, he carried a small bundle in his arms and a bag in the other.

Standing up and walking over, Simon swiftly took the small bundle and the bag in the other hand. He looked up the the younger, curly haired man, giving him a consoling smile at seeing his disheveled state.

"Thank you Michael. For the moment, just go back to work. I'll handle him", Simon said as he waved a hand back towards the portal.

Mike nodded apologetically, but grateful as his shoulders drooped losing tension and staggered back to the portal. _Thank god,_ Michael thought to himself as he cracked his back. _Anymore and I think the kid would've killed me..._

As the portal closed on the other side, Simon took the time to look at the bundle in his arm, smiling fondly at it. Bouncing it up slightly, frowning as he realized the inconvenience this would be. Dick wouldn't be able to call today.

Walking back to the table he set the bag down next to his legs and adjusted the bundle in his arms, ready to continue with the meeting. But instead he only got looks from the other heroes. Batman slowly stood from his chair, mouth slightly opened in disbelief.  
Reading their minds once more he spoke, "Yes, this is Dick Grayson."

He sighed as collective shock spread around the room.

 **A/N- Alright so again, stuff changed and I'm finally melding the story to where I want it. I'm sorry the wait has been long, but I'm dealing with a lot at the moment, i'm burnt out, but I'll update soon I promise. Please rate and review, tell me what you think of the remastering. I'll be back soon.**


	13. The baby is here!

READ AND REVIEW PLEASE I CRAVE FEEDBACK

"Let me take a guess, you want to see him.", Simon stated as he looked around the room. All of a sudden something zoomed by him and Dick was gone from his arms. Though he wasn't alarmed, he was slightly agitated.

"Aww look at him he's so small", Flash said as he held the little bundle in his arms. Dick was now a small infant, who still had his black ebony hairy, small eyelashes that touched his pudgy cheeks, a little pixie nose and just an overall cherub appearance. Though, looking at the child a bit closer he noticed a few questionable things. Just as he was about to lay a hand on the baby's cheek he was called out by wonder woman.

"Flash, I don't believe his father takes it to kindly you are waving him around like a doll", she said as she pointed at the bat. Disregarding who had the adoption papers, leaving Simon scowling.

"Oh, right", Flash said as he flashed a smile at the detective. "Here you go, bats" Walking over he gently passed the baby bird over to the silent dark knight. As the little one was passed to him, Bruce felt his world take a large shift. He was holding Dick, his son. He wasn't dead, he was right here in his hands. Of course he had his doubts that the grim was telling them the truth, but this was all the proof he needed!

His little baby son was in his hands, small, vulnerable, not the right age, but he was alive. He was alive and he was right here with him, it was just him and his baby. He felt tears come to his eyes behind the white slits of his mask. How he had actually lost him, the poor excuse of a father he was and how his little son was here. He was given a second chance, he wouldn't waste it. Never again.

As he held the little baby a bit closer to his broad chest, he tried to look at the baby's face, still unable to do it. He was ashamed of himself, he didn't want to believe Dick might hate him for what happened, resent him or blame him. He couldn't just look at Dick's eyes and pretend nothing had happened between them for the past year and even before that. He couldn't look at him without apologizing first, but he couldn't do that now even if he was able to. He just couldn't admit he was part to blame for this.

Willing himself to look at the baby's face, he felt his heart hit his stomach. Dick's skin was sickly pale and the baby felt limp in his hold. Quickly ripping his glove off with his teeth, alerting the other members of the league as they stood from their chairs, Batman quickly, but softly placed two fingers in the baby's tiny neck. Ten seconds. That's how long he waited. No pulse.

Putting his hand to Dick's cheek he felt numbing pain strike his chest from the horrifying touch of the cold skin. Standing up he clutched the baby close to him and slammed one of his fists down on the table. "What kind of _Sick_ pleasure do you get out of this?", Bruce demanded, his glare directed at the stoic reaper in the room.

"Batman what wrong with him?", Superman asked as he tensed from the rage radiating off the bat.

"He's dead", Batman growled out through clenched teeth.

"Honestly", Simon huffed out in annoyance. "Do you really think I would give you a corpse?" Looking around the room, he didn't need to read minds to know the answer. "I can be cruel and unusual at my assessments in the gravity of punishments, but this is in no way a punishment. This was a negotiation and I am a man of my words. He is fine"

Walking over to the bat, ignoring the disgust of all the people in the room towards him, he grabbed the bat's clenched fist. Easily prying the fingers open, he pushed two against where the pulse of his own neck should be. Simon then looked at batman, hoping he would at least try to find his pulse.

"No pulse, cold skin, yet i'm…. alive", Simon stated plainly as he hen removed the fingers off his neck and place them onto Dick's. "He however has a pulse, but it is much, much slower than yours. Yet it doesn't harm him. He is fine, you just have to understand he isn't human is all."

The reaper stopped talking as he could feel the slow, but strong pulse from the baby's neck under Bruce's fingers. Smiling to himself he outstretched his hands to take the child back, but instead, batman stepped back with the baby in clutch. He still wore a menacing glare towards the grim, nearly growling.

Simon returned a glare and crossed his arms over his chest, he really didn't need this today.

The silence that had come into the room disappeared as a shrill cry sounded in the room. The heroes looked down at the bundle in batman's arms to see Dick crying his little heart out. "Dick?", Bruce softly said to the baby in his arms, but that only made Dick cry more desperately.

"Let me hold him Batman", Wonder woman said, as she took the bundle into her arms, trying to rock him back and forth, but Dick's tears still dripped and poured down his face.

"Let me try", Flash said as he scooped up the kid and pulled him up to his eyesight. For a second, Dick stopped crying and the speedster threw him a smile, but Dick actually started to cry and yell, smacking his tiny fist weakly on the speedster's chest.

Barry although still a bit offended, panicked when he began to cry again and handed him off to Superman, "Here you try!" Dick finally opened his eyes filled with tears, revealing beautiful blue orbs to the Kryptonian. Dick looked at the large muscular man as he quieted down, while Clark just had no idea what to do. He stood there dumbfounded as Dick shifted a bit and started to smack his hands together as he looked over to Simon.

Simon walked over to the man of steel and gingerly plucked Dick from his hold, hugging him close, intending on comforting him after having been in the mortal's hands. "Daday!", Dick suddenly yelled out as he slapped his hands on Simon's cheeks, startling the Reaper. Making SImon's eyes go wide, but soon soften as he smiled a rare smile to the boy in his arms.

Meanwhile Dick squealed and giggled at the white haired man, completely unaware of the catalyst of emotions he unleashed on the dark night, as he pointed at Superman.

"Ah I see, he's wearing your favorite color; blue", Simon said with a knowing smile, something they hadn't seen the reaper do yet in his visits to the mountain. "He's wearing a costume, just like everyone else in the room. See."

Dick turned his small head to look at the vigilantes and heroes in the room, but avoided eye contact with the weird lightning bolt man, which the Flash took a bit of offence to, crossing his arms and pouting a bit. He looked back at the man with the bat costume, locking gaze for a quick second, until he realized he had better things to do. Dick said as tugged on Simon's arm with his little clenched fist, urging him to let him down. As soon as Simon put him down, Dick began to crawl over to Clark, who looked down at the baby as he did so. Dick then passed between his legs and hid under Clark's cape, confusing the man of steel.

As Clark attempted to understand what was it the Dick was doing, Simon looked over to batman who had his famous blank expression, but inside his mind was only a jealous sentiment oriented words and ideas. Bruce was upset, he felt like it should have been him to be called those loving words from his baby son, but instead a dangerous and unfamiliar stranger gained that title that he wanted from his sons. The unconditional love those words held for a stranger, while in his luck only received cries of fear from one of the people in his life, who shouldn't be afraid of him.

Simon would have been smug and happy to know that the mortal finally seemed to understand who was family with who here, but he wasn't. Instead he was actually a bit irritated. The second part of their argument was about letting Dick stay in the Wayne manor for extended periods of time. Simon lost that argument.


	14. Confirming it

The doors to the Wayne manor opened, revealing the lavishly decorated home of the Wayne family. Bruce stepped inside with a tiny sleeping baby in his hold, softly smiling at the baby's coos releases as he was sleeping. Taking a deep breath Bruce reminded himself to remain calm and follow through with what he had gotten himself into. He loved his son- he did… so he had to help Dick remember who he was and where he belongs so everything could go back to normal, and this whole nightmare could be put behind them.

"Welcome back, master Bruce", the familiar voice of Alfred called out, yet slightly somber. He hadn't mentioned anything about the grim reaper in the tower or Dick or that matter, everyone was still silently mourning, a custom of the bat family. Frowning a bit, he walked over to Alfred, mindful to keep Dick out of sight by tucking him into the crook of his arm.

"Hello Alfred. Where is everyone?", Bruce asked as he took a look around the quiet manor.

"I believe upstairs in their respective rooms, master Bruce. Even master Jason has joined us for the evening", Alfred said smiling faintly. It was a surprise Jason had come back in order to support the family and mourn Dick's death, but he soon clashed with Bruce over the accusation of not doing enough to prevent Dick's death and was more than outraged that the murderers got away with it over a year ago. Bruce secluded himself after that, focusing on work, and Jason started staying over a bit more, looking for a fight as well as being there for his younger brothers.

Everyone was more or so left to their own devices and something needed to be done, though no one really tried to make amends. Dick was more of the peace keeper, second to Alfred., but who wasn't at his best at the moment.

"Master Bruce, what is it that you are carrying there?", the old butler asked as he walked over. Bruce suddenly split into a smiled as he remembered the bundle in his arms. Shifting his arm a bit, he showed alfred the tiny child in his arm, which Alfred frowned slightly at.

"Please don't tell me you have another missing son, Master Bruce", Alfred said as he continued looking at the child, marveling in sadness to how the child resembled Dick so much, to the point it where really hurt to think he was dead now.

"No, Alfred. This", Bruce gestured at the bundle, by shifting his arm a little. "This is Dick, he was brought back He's back to us, Alfred", Bruce said his throat constricting a bit in the sheer happiness he felt. Looking up at his old friend, he saw tears shining in the eyes of the older man hope and doubt at once. "He's home" And just like that, all doubt was gone.

* * *

"So is this really Grayson, father?", Damian asked nearly monoutlously if it wasn't for the hope deep within his tone. Bruce merely nodded as he looked at the DNA test results, a test he had done just to be completely sure, even if he already knew the answer. Damian quickly took the papers himself, shuffling them as Jason and Tim looked over his shoulders, once satisfied they looked back up at the small baby in Alfred's arms.

Alfred looked down at Dick, who still had yet to wake up, but nonetheless there. It was a miracle. Alfred had always seen the young master as a surrogate grandson and cared for him dearly. The boy has wormed his way into the heart of this family, given light to the dark decrepit cave built upon solitude and grief. Richard however, brought back hope and love to this old mansion.

Alfred pulled away from is thoughts as the tiny master began to shift a bit in his hold. Dick then moved his head over to the side and opened his stunning blue eyes, looking over at the Wayne family. Damian's own eyes widened in awe as he recognized the eyes of his adopted "brother" on the small child's. Walking over to Alfred, Damian reached over to take Dick into his own arms, Alfred handing him over carefully and cautiously.

Jason and Tim both immediately took a few steps towards Damian, they didn't trust the demon child to hold something as precious or vulnerable as Dick. Sure they had their disputes and rough times with Dick, but he was still there for them nonetheless and he meant a whole lot to them. Jason had a rocky relationship with Dick, mostly because of his feeling of inferiority to him, but that wasn't an even decent excuse to dislike him. Dick had told him various times, he doesn't want to be better or superior than them, he was doing whatever he could in any situation he was in. He wasn't going to let that be an obstacle this time.

Tim was close to Dick, ever since he met him. He admired the former Robin, his skills, his talent, his overall personality and what not. He just really lost that connection with his older brother through work and vigilante matters. He didn't have time to really hang around anymore, just the occasional movie and dinner, but that's it. After Dick… left, he wanted to go back home to Wayne manor and try to hold on to the people he still had left, any memories and experiences, he had lost that opportunity with Dick. But now he was here. He had more time.

Damian looked at Grayson in his arms, who was looking around him curiously, shooting glances at Jason and Tim. He seemed slightly confused and lost as was expected from a child in his age. Damian clicked his teeth to gain the child's attention, like hell he was going to let Todd and Drake be the main focus for Grayson. Though he didn't act like it, he really did enjoy having Grayson's time and attention on him, he was his batman after all. Grayson looked back up at him and stared at the boy holding him eventually losing interest and shifting his gaze back to the batman himself.

Bruce stepped forward and proceed to kneel in front of Damian, extending his hands out to take Dick from him, which Damian begrudgingly allowed. Allowed. Bruce lifted his small son to his chest and pressed his head near his chest, as a form of comfort, either for Dick or for himself. "Let's go upstairs, the temperature in the cave is starting to drop."

With nothing but a silent agreement, filled with the still fresh feel of relief and adrenaline from Dick's miraculous return home. Though the feeling of fatigue and happiness began to wash away the tension in the grim home and finally everyone could rest in peace in the batfamily.

That is if they can allow themselves to.


	15. First choke

Bruce awoke in the middle of the night to the sound of nothing. Nothing at all. It was definitely odd, even for a nocturnal man such as himself. He sat up and looked around his bed to see if there was anything inside that could have woken him up, but soon cold white fear struck hard as he realized his baby, that was supposed to be resting on his chest, was no longer there. Looking frantically around the room he found Dick resting on the ground in front of the door out of his master bedroom.

Panicked he leaped out of bed and carefully lifted his son from his curled up position on the floor and placed him onto crook of his arm, bouncing him a bit to see if he responded. A few shakes was all it took to startle the little one into opening his eyes and looking up at Bruce. Bruce heaved a sigh of relief and took the infant back to bed with him. Dick was looking up at him, his face devoid of happiness in seeing the billionaire, it almost looked as if he was perplexed.

Bruce sighed once more, he could deal with Dick in the morning, but for now, they both needed sleep. Laying back down, he kept one hand on the baby's back, staring up at the ceiling for a bit.

He was stressed, and... something else. He couldn't place his finger on it. He had felt stressed many times when it came to protecting the city and people he cared for, but... the second thing was a familiar yet distant feeling. An oppressed one that he had only ever felt in terms of using anger or force to express pent up emotions. He had felt it all throughout his grieving of his son, which whom was now resting near him. He should have felt relief. He should've. He didn't. He felt longing and overwhelming anxiety.

So much longing... but for what?

Bruce pondered on the question until he fell victim to exhaustion and sleep overtook him.

Dick stared at Bruce as he slept, he was genuinely fascinated by the man's perception of his absence. He was also very concerned to know that he was in the wrong house, he should be in Simon's apartment right now. Why would Simon let the humans take him here? He was very conservative when it came to taking him out in public human places, but letting humans care for him? This was a first.

Dick waited patiently for the man to go back to sleep, but instead of sleeping himself, he awaited for dawn to arrive while he watched the man sleep. Soon he wouldn't need to do that anymore, he thought to himself…

* * *

Morning arrived quickly for Bruce as he sat up in his bed, yawning and stretching a bit. Looking down again, he realized Dick was gone again! That brought the bat crashing back to reality and sprinting down the hall in a flurry looking for him. "Dick! Where are you, son?", Bruce called out as he entered the study, all the rooms (waking some of the boys up in the process), the bathrooms, the kitchen and the living room.

Alfred and the boys, where now all helping batman in his search for the baby bird. Bruce was in a frenzy however. He'd just gotten his son back, and he had disappeared somehow. He then realized no one checked outside for his baby, so the dark knight tore down the stairs and ran towards the manor entrance.

Yet he stopped because right in front of the entrance, Dick sat there, staring at the door blankly. Bruce hastily walked over to Dick and picked him up again, "Oh Dickie, you gave me quite a scare buddy", Bruce said as he smiled down at the little ebony haired baby, but he didn't smile back at Bruce, instead he looked over at the door. "Why don't we get ourselves some breakfast?", Bruce suggested as he raised an eyebrow at Dick, who still didn't look up at him.

Bruce walked over to find everyone gathering in the kitchen. "I found Dick, he was at the doors of the manor", Bruce said as he took a seat and sat Dick down on his lap.

"Wonderful news, Master Bruce. Young master Richard gave us quite a scare", Alfred said as he walked over to the stove to start breakfast. Meanwhile, Damian quickly took a chair next to Bruce and baby Dick. Damian took the opportunity to take a close look at Dick, who was still trying to look at the door, but Damian didn't seem to mind. He didn't seem to, but he did mind.

He liked to have his older- younger brot- his blue clad brother's attention on him, but he didn't seem to get it at the moment. Damian scowled, but soon turned into a slight smile as Alfred handed him a cup of mashed carrots and peas and a spoon to feed Dick with, catching a knowing nod from the elder. "Grayson, look over here. I have some food for you", Damian said as he dipped the spoon in the mush, gaining Dick's attention. "Open wide, Grayson"

Damian held the spoon up to him, which the little baby responded to by opening his mouth and eating the mush off the silver spoon. Damian let a small smile grace his lips, but soon was replaced by horror as he pulled away the spoon, finding the spoon part with the mush gone!

Dick began to cough uncontrollably, his face growing from sickly pale, to a dying blue. Bruce went into panic, patting Dick's small back, trying to make him cough up the spoon. Jason meanwhile was freaking the fuck out! He ran to the nearest phone to call emergency services, Damian and Tim hovering near Dick, watching their older- baby brother die in front of them. Alfred was coaching Bruce to calm down enough to do the heimlich maneuver on the baby.

But Bruce couldn't. He couldn't stop panicking. He started becoming frustrated and upset, that's when he gave Dick a forceful pat on his back, dislodging the spoon and making the poor baby hack out the metal piece from his small mouth. A shriek filled the air as the small baby began to cry from pain.

Before anyone could do anything, a blinding combination of white and blue light illuminated the room. Simon and Belladonna appeared in the room, Simon rushing over, swiftly taking Dick into his arms, who squealed in pained happiness. Dick snuggled into Simon's shoulder, while the Grim glared deeply at the human's in the room, "WHAT HAPPENED?"

PLEASE REVIEW SO I CAN GET FEEDBACK ON THIS


	16. Spider silk

Simon sat across from the billionaire and his surrogate family, while he bounced the little acrobat on his leg. He had sat and listened to their explanations of what had happened. Eventually growing tired of hearing excuses he began to pace around drowning out the voices and the looks he kept getting from Bruce. He had enough of this for one lifetime, make that millions.

Simon focused deeply on a feeling he was so acquainted with. Emptiness. He needed to focus on it, grasp it, and let loose petty emotions into that abyss. Though it was hard ever since Richard came into his life, having little time to meditate on the concept of emptiness and more time on trying to remaster the feeling of empathy and compassion.

The positive emotions he now meditated daily, unconsciously or consciously, were the main source of comfort he gained in his day to day life. It was exhausting, but a better change than the cold incapacitating feeling of isolation. But sometimes the abyss could be welcoming in times for desperate disconnection-

"Simon?"

Simon swore that his eyebrow twitched. Belladonna. She was talking to him and in the processes broke his concentration. He knew better than to be upset, so he took one last look at the void before opening his eyes. "Belladonna?", he briefly questioned looking off to the side to catch her eyesight. What could have been so grave for his attention to be requested once again?

"You're doing the thing again", she said as she pointed to the ground with a gloved hand. Simon looked down to see a deep dark hole had formed in the living room, right under his feet. Of course he was floating, but it was still terrifying to watch the world collapse under one's body, awareness solemn in said person.

Simon sighed and adjusted his glasses with a "click", making sure he had a good grip on Dick, before closing the hole and dropping himself on where it once blemished the ground. He turned to the Wayne's, their faces were representations of shock, discomfort, annoyance, fear, anger and concern. Though it was uncalled for, he was perfectly capable of protecting the small child in his arms. And even then he was sure his disconnect would not have interfered much further.

Simon took another deep breath before speaking, "I am sorry if I caused any discomfort with my… coping mechanism. I am not often found in a situation where I experience extreme disappointment and anger towards those I have trusted upon with my most precious person-"

"Well you didn't tell us how to take care of him!"

"Damian!", his family hissed at him, a silent threat hanging on the end of the name. Bruce, although begrudgingly, wanted to stay on the personified Death's graces. If they were to mess that up, he could lose his son forever. Damian's outburst only put more weight on the matter, how long could they keep being civil with one another?

Damian however was pissed beyond all absolute hell. He just wanted to have his older brother back and now that he had a chance to make it up to Grayson, he almost ended up killing him! Then this guy came along telling them off about not taking care of him well enough when they were trying their best with how little they knew?!

"DON'T", Belladonna bellowed as she smashed her heels back onto the floor, making Damian recoil slightly. She took a step forward. "Don't You dare take that tone of voice with us!"

Step. "WE were the ones that have been taking care of him for the last year, "

Step. "and may we remind you that WE are the ones that brought him back to life."

Step. "So we didn't tell you how to take care of him?"

Step. "Have you ever considered that we are still figuring out how to?!"

Step. "That maybe this is all new to us as it is to you!?"

Step. "THAT MAYBE YOU SHOULD HAVE JUST LEFT THINGS WELL ENOUGH AS THEY ARE!?"

"Enough!", Simon boomed throughout the room. Belladonna snapped out of her tangent looked forward to see that bratty little kid she told off, had backed up with every step she had taken, he was now huddled up back to his family. Silently she backed away from the bat family, going to Simon's side. Upon looking up at him, she received a silent, but cold warning to not repeat her actions again. She looked off somewhere else, crossed her arms and let her hair fall in from of her eyes. Not her fault the child was being bratty, she was just putting him in his place.

Bruce watched the exchange in angry annoyance and bitter denial. How could they have left things the way they were? There was no absolute reason she should have accused them of meddling, that she accused them of not knowing how to take care of his own son, to even yell at one of his sons.

Though Damian's behavior was uncalled for.

"Enough. Belladonna", Simon said, finally turning to address them with Dick happily unaware of the fight, occupying himself with fiddleling and folding Simon's trench coat. "Let them be. I will say however that we don't appreciate the tone of voice." He turned to look at the Waynes, aiming his glare at Bruce specifically. "I entrusted you with his safety and happiness, today you proved that harm can come to him under the circumstances of ignorance."

He sighed, "However… Mistakes are prone to happen and since there are no instructions in parenting, mistakes are all galore, especially in Dick's case." He lowered his eyes back down to Dick, the baby meeting up his gaze and giggling at Simon as the reserved man grabbed the smaller's hand, carefully running his digits over the soft baby's skin.

He closed his eyes, "One chance. That's all i'm giving you. If we see that Dick isn't taking reintegration here well, whether in sickness or in health, preferably in health, we shall see to it that Dick has the choice to come back with us."

He looked back up at Bruce, both men glaring at each other with intensity, "And Mr. Wayne, let it be known you are balancing on a strand of spider silk."


	17. The masters have

Simon's visit made Dick happy. He thought he was going home. He wasn't though. He was still to stay there at the manor. After Simon had given him back to the Wayne family, Dick decided that it was best he just wait out the visit to the manor with a long, long, _Long_ nap. It must have been too long as soon enough he felt as if though he was being yanked from the bed and jostled about everywhere.

Dick's blue eyes flew open as he was being carried and rushed into the grandfather clock, which had an elevator behind it. Dick twisted his head about to get a better look at what was happening, but found that he was being secured in a blanket. Dick made no more movements to get out of whoever's grasp he was in, he was just going to waste his time.

The elevator doors opened again and again he felt jostled about, he was really getting upset about it, but he didn't really want to say anything about it, mostly cause he just didn't want to bother.

He was suddenly rushed forward to the man he saw earlier today and yesterday, . He looked up from the large computer screen to look at the person who was carrying him. "Damian? What is it?"

"It's Grayson father, he's not moving and he's in an abnormally low temperature."

The boy, Damian, gave him to , who quickly took him into his arms and jostled him again, Dick was just about done with being treated as a doll at this point and made a cooing sound to show them he was awake and fine. He passively watched as the billionaire sent the boy away, a morsel of satisfaction of having less people crowding him.

Mister Wayne lifted him up to both meet eyes, he seemed a bit tired, but hopeful. For what? He wasn't sure. "I may not be always prepared for handling you as an infant, but rest assured i'll try my best, Dick." He reached up and brushed some hair off of his face, Dick made no show of a reaction, he just watched his guardian in quiet assessment.

A blip from the large computer in the cave disrupted the one-sided conversation, and that nice man with the red and blue suit came on screen. "Batman, we need you to report to the tower, apparently there has been a momentous rise in activity of the serial killer", superman said, quickly getting to the point.

"And the reapers?", Bruce asked standing up, ready to depart.

"We contacted Simon, he said to not engage them, but.. We can't. Bodies are turning up again and this time in mass numbers at a time, families are going missing, entire towns are dying.", Superman responded urgently, his words turning more desperate. "We can't stand by and do nothing."

"We won't", Bruce ground out. "I'll be there in five"

The human was serious about his statement. He quickly got into his suit and gear. He called in the other residents of the household and assembled the younger men to prepare, while the man dressed in a butler suit was given the task of taking care of him. But Dick felt that there was no need to trouble as they call him. He is usually okay when left to his own devices, even if a bit confused and disoriented at times. Confusing images in his mind, feelings mixing in and so- so many-

"Master Dick?", Mr. Pennyworth's voice called out in concern

Dick's eyes blinked once, he then realized he went deep into his thought and literally stopped moving, functioning, remembering… He looked around. The kitchen. They were in the kitchen again. He turned his head to the older man, who was sitting next to him, he himself on a high chair, the man having a plate of mashed fruit or vegetables in front of him.

He must have been calling him. Dick needed to focus, he couldn't keep losing himself in thought like that and worrying the humans. They don't understand and he doesn't understand what's happening to him either. He was like Simon in that way, he could get so lost in his own thoughts.

"Master Dick, please open up, you haven't eating anything all day", the englishman said. Dick looked at the spoon, he looked at the older man, he opened his mouth and this time didn't bite down on the spoon. He ate slowly, he didn't have much of a feeling of hunger, but he did have an appetite when given the offer of food, though he didn't always accept the food.

Mr. Pennyworth seemed to settle down as he complied to eating the food, he wasn't one to fuss about this either. He was being given food, though he could have gone without being spoon fed. He felt rushed when he was spoon fed.

Soon the mush in the bowl was gone and stood up to take the bowl to the sink, on the way he began to speak. "My you do have an appetite when hungry", he commented fondly. "It's wonderful to have you back Master Dick. After we found out about your… passing, things started to become unsteady at the manor. Masters Tim and Jason, were much more solemn and melancholy. Master Tim would skip days of patrol, meals and sometimes left the manor entirely for a day or two. He walked around the manor and constantly asked questions about you, making memories to remember you by. More than once did I find him looking at the picture of your parents.

Master Jason, after informed had a few words to exchange with your father. Arguments broke out whenever in the same room. There was a certain point in which no one left their rooms at all so as not to cross one another… Master jason often went back to the... ", Alfred hesitated to mention any details of Dick's death to the baby. "...Location where everything transpired. I believe in hopes of finding clues to the culprit behind what happened there. He never found anything however. Those days he locked himself in his room.

"Master Damian had more temperamental outbursts. Walling himself off as he was taught to do only led him to harm himself more that to protect himself. He never came long out of your room for the first three days, only if absolutely necessary. He didn't speak to anyone, not even your father about it. When someone mentioned your name, he quickly shut down the conversation by any means necessary. Especially if a criminal questioned your absence... He mourned your death to a great extent, but not as much as your father.

"Master Bruce, your father, buried himself in work. He began to stop eating well somewhere along the line and he stopped sleeping at all, caffeine and… that footage, keeping him awake on most nights. On a few particular nights, he would spring up in bed, frantically asking where his parents were. He hasn't done that in years. It was concerning enough, but it got much more painful to encounter when he began asking where you were. It was very late, he was disoriented and, dare I say, frightened."

* * *

" _Where? Where are they?", Bruce asked, his words slurring together from how exhausted he was. "Where? Where are my parents?"_

" **Master Bruce, they are not present at the moment. Please go back to sleep", Alfred responded in discontent, the response rehearsed for years, gently coaxing the frantic billionaire, who only shook his head at the request.**

" _No. Alfred. No, not until i find them, him… where?", Bruce said as he continued to look around the dark room. "Where is he?"_

 **Alfred decided it was best to just answer, just to pacify him. He needed to rest. "You served justice to that man Master bruce, everything is fine now." A lie.**

" _No, not… where? Where is Dick? Where is my son?", Bruce asked even more in panic than before. Alfred's eyes widened, he staggered aback by the simple desperate question. At receiving no answer, Bruce panicked and stood up stumbling out of the room, Alfred quickly going after him._

" **Master Bruce please, get back to bed. Master Dick is fine." another lie.**

" _No.. video. He's not… the video. My son…", Bruce collapsed into the side of the wall, head in hands, frame wracked in absolute despair. Bruce quietly muttered apologies in his delirious state, muttering Dick's name every so often. Alfred nealt beside him a deeply devastated. This wasn't supposed to happen._

" **Master Bruce…" Bruce lifted his head slowly to look at him. Alfred couldn't bear to tell him the truth or tell him another lie… This wasn't supposed to happen. "let's just get you to bed."**

* * *

"After you came back this household brightened once again. The younger Masters all began to talk to one another, eager to interact with you although they don't all show it, and Master Bruce quickly put himself back into shape for your arrival and began to take charge again. I found myself once again in a manor with you in it, something I never thought would happen again. No one did." Alfred turned around to look at the young toddler in the chair.

"I just hope that things shall get better.. From here…."

There was no toddler in the chair.


	18. BLUBIRD513

Hey Everyone...

Listen um, I honestly am thinking of just making these stories review based. Yeah, I appreciate that people are following this and favoriting it, but I honestly wan't to know if I should continue. Because that's the thing, I can understand what people think about it and the qulity of the storrie, if they are enjoying it or not. I love my stories of course, but lately i've gotten too busy and had time to think about them. I have a clearer mind now and my thinking is that if no one wants to see them, why keep making them?

Anyway, I don't know. That's just me I guess. I really do hope that you guys are enjoying what has been made, and maybe what I'll be making. Like I said I'm thinking about it. That's all I wanted to say.

Goodnight,

Blubird513


	19. Open doors

Blubird513- I thought a bit about continuing this story. I'm not sure what my decision is yet. I had this chapter written up a while back. I don't know if this might be the last update. It will honestly depend if people are giving me feedback. I want to know if I should continue. Anyway. Enjoy this chapter, hopefully we'll see more.

The bars of the cage were UNBREAKABLE and had an electric current running through them. Superman was CHAINED to the wall, a collar on his neck with kryptonite, rendering him weak, no one could remove the embedded green rocks. The man of steel; Defeated.

Wonder Woman's bracelets TWISTED together, the titanium like material bent and curled into a chain like seal. She no longer had power. Whoever this was wasn't a man, but that didn't change the fact that her bracelets were bonded together, eternally. Wonder woman; Defeated.

Torches of fire layed everywhere, Martian Manhunter had no ability to get out safely. The forest green alien, barely able to lift his head, much less telepathically connect with other superheroes. He was on the brink of melting. Martian Manhunter; Defeated.

Flash would have to run out as fast as possible for particle acceleration out of this cage. However it was too dangerous to try and attempt it in such a confined area and even then he spent most of his energy running from whatever had managed to CATCH him. He was starving, any more running and he could burn a hole through his stomach. Flash; Defeated

Red Robin, Robin and Red hood were all tied together and suspended high above the ground, weapons confiscated. And Batman, still in the cage with everyone else. The bat family; Defeated.

They had all been captured on their way to the mountain. Someone even infiltrating the building to capture superman himself. There was something unnatural about it all. This…. This being... they were dealing wasn't natural.

It was too nimble, too transparent, too strong, too cunning, too knowledgeable… too untouchable.

"Um bats, you got any ideas on how to get us out of this?", Flash inquired after having gotten himself zapped by the metal bars again. "Ouch, Dammit I hate this cage! How the hell did they even catch us!?"

"Whoever it is, they had knowledge of all of our weaknesses, they knew us enough to capture all of us", Superman said through his gritted teeth, he was trying so hard to stay conscious from the kryptonite. So much pain…

"They must have been watching us from a distance, they made it clear through our containment that they knew our limitations in strength", Batman said as he took a look at the heros in the room with him, a nagging voice in his head telling him that they should have heeded Macabre's warning to not engage it. Yet something wasn't right. Something dangerous clicked in his mind. "He knows about the transmission."

"The transmission. But that's impossible batman, the security system detected no one in the system nor in the building", Wonder Woman said her hands bound in the twisted bracelets. She snarled at the very thought, before turning to the weak martian. "Martian manhunter did you sense anyone around the vicinity?"

"I did not sense any telepathic activity around me, no", The green martian said weakly as he crumpled from the heat of the torches around him. He wouldn't hold out much longer like this. "They… T-they aren't human, they don't behave like one at all, even less a martian-"

Knock knock.

The sound interrupted the heroes as they turned to the door, which began to shift indicating that someone was trying to come in. It was peculiar however, why the knock? After a few sets of light knocking the door stopped shaking. Batman's eyes narrowed as he studied the door, almost squinting. His optics had been destroyed in their capture, destroyed by someone intentionally ripping off the wiring on the sides of the mask.

The door opened with a violent shove, breaking the lock on the door, splitting it in half.

"What the hell?", Jason said as he looked down from where they were being suspended, scowl tugging at his lips upon seeing nothing but a dark hallway beyond the open door. This was getting annoying, a criminal trying to frighten them. Pathetic. "Argh. Don't they have keys they can just open the fucking door?"

"They do have keys, I saw them on their belts as they chained us up", Tim said as he twisted his head to see the opening door. Swinging the suspended bat brothers from the chain they were hanging on. _We're so screwed,_ Tim thought to himself as he twisted his head around to see the door.

"You saw the damned keys and you didn't fucking take them?!", Jason grit out as he shove Tim back into place with his restrained shoulder.

"I couldn't, we were already handcuffed!", Tim yelled as he shoved Jason back forcefully. "Thanks to you they had us handcuffed and tied up into the ceiling because you couldn't shut your fucking mouth!" They shoved back at one another, if they weren't chained up, for certain they would have ripped the other's throat out.

"You two imbeciles! Shut the fuck up!", Damian said as he began to be shifted from the shoves, which he shoved back with twice the force.

"Fuck you right back demon spawn! You two replaceme-"

Before Jason could finish, all fell silent as the door finally revealed the figure behind it. A ebony haired little toddler, with blue eyes and a little batman doll trailing behind him.

"Dick?!" All the heros and heroines in the room including Batman said in shock and alarm as the small toddler crawled his way to the middle of the room. Batman crouched down in order to get the toddler to look at him. "Dick come over here, come to me." He reached out with his gloved hand between the electric bars of the cage, to get his little bird, however in the process a few electric shocks hit his gauntlet and shocked the dark knight.

"Bats! You good?", Barry said as he took a step closer as well as wonder woman. They received nothing but grunts of pain in return, which prompted the hero's to start pulling the billionaires hand away from the bars. "Batman come on, that's enough. Look Dick's fine he won't touch the bars especially after seeing you get hurt by them."

Flash looked up only to swallow his words as Dick got up on two's and waddled his way over to the electric bars. Superman's head snapped up, finally catching glimpse of the toddler in his repressed state. "H-hey! Don't… Don't t-touch those bars!", the man of steel said as he gathered all of his remaining strength to spat the words out in pleading desperation to a toddler.

The baby however did nothing but stare at the red and blue hero, it was actually unnerving. His eyes were devoid of recognition, just cold calculation and distant concern, very distant however. Dick however did not hear their pleads and he shot his hand forward to grasp at one of the bars. Bruce's blood went cold, muscles stiff and eyes wide as he watched his baby bird be engulfed in electric bolts.

Screams tore from the people in the room as they watched the baby be electrecuted. The baby had his eyes wide and little frame wracked, shaking and convulsing. It was enough to make Dick let out a blood curdling shriek. The bolts began to grow bigger and sparks flew from the body.

"NO!", Bruce said as he darted his arm forward to push his son back from the bolts, only to be stopped as all the lights in the room began to explode. The glass flying from place to place and all other electric equipment began to radiate a dangerous light, it was too bright for reality. They couldn't keep their eyes open. For a moment blindness overtook their percepscion of the room, only to be cleared and for them to find no change. The lights were all out, the only thing that illuminated the room were the sparks from the blown out lights.

Bruce grabbed onto the bars in the dark, noticing quietly how they no longer had a charge. He didn't care, however, his son was right beyond the bars in god knows what condition. He shoved his hands forward patting down the ground, flash and wonder woman helping him. He cursed under his breath as he frantically looked around the now dark room, all except for the dim lighting of the torches, which were now burning low.

That was until the door opened once more….


	20. MESSAGE TO EVERYONE- Blubird513

Good evening everyone.

Umm, I don't have much to say about the final decision other than, well I am going to update every once in a while. My schedule will be off the rocker for a bit so, don't expect too much on that. I know, I know. Some of you will get angry at me or upset if the story was picking up momentum, but right now i'm considering... a replacement for myself. I know, I know. WHAT?!, But just hear me out! It's still a thought.

I know some of you might want to have a word with me, so just PM me or leave a review on any story you guys would like me to continue. I will read all off them while I remain in position of this account.

I'll see all of you hopefully in the future.

-Blubird513


	21. Bullets ricochet or they don't

"Hey! What the hell's going on in here?", A gruff voice said from the door, a flashlight illuminating the man slightly, at least giving a silhouette. He walked forward, a glint of a gun in hand, bulky frame trudging forward.

None of the heroes moved or breathed in fear of Dick being discovered if they said something. He was right beyond the bars, body going into the first stages of shock. Martian Manhunter looked over to batman who gritted his teeth, sensing his aura to be dark and anxious. The martian could understand that. The boy he had seen grow from a young boy, die and come back in his most delicate form could be in grave danger or the brink of death.

They needed this man to leave.

"Now I dunno why the boss wants you all alive, didn't even want us to shoot y'all", the man grumbled in a deep brooklyn accent. As he walked toward a control panel and began to turn on a few lights in the room that still functioned, the cage and a few other lights forever in disrepair. "I know y'all are up to somethin' and the boss won't have it, says you'll be useful for later but anything goes wrong, he won't regret..." He turned to the league. "Chopping a few heads off", he said as he gestures with his hand a swing at the neck. "So I suggest you don't get backup for this one goodie two shoes."

The guard walked forward a bit more shining his light at a few of the supers, smirking at the annoyed looks on their faces.

"I would've enjoyed seeing the boss get rid of you freaks, tho. Less work for us right", He said as he let out a raspy chuckle.

"What do you get out of this?", Batman asked as he glared at the guard, who regarded him with a sneer.

"Hmph, as if i'm telling you, you damn bat", the guard sai as twirled his gun around. "I ain't so fucking stupi-"

"Boo!"

"ARGGH!"

 **BANG!**

A shot was fired in the midst of the guards panic, a shot that ricochead and shot the collar superman had around his neck, letting him free. The heroes whipped their heads back to where the light was shining… on a little boy with bright blue eyes, who stared at the guard.

That was…

... before the gun was fired one more, the bullet hitting the toddler with painful accuracy in the face. The toddler was launched back and away from the spot of light, back into the darkness.

" **NOOO!"** , Bruce roared in anguish and crippling grief, cold fear snapping something inside him, his angry cry bouncing off the walls as he gripped the bars to the point of denting the metal shaking them with ferocious intensity.

 _Oh god… no. Don't let him die. No please no. Let there be some miracle. Godammit! Let Simon get here and stop this madness even… just.. Not Dick. Please not him… not his son._

He could faintly hear his other sons screaming and howling in anger and despair( _No please)_ , his fellow superheroes behind him screaming as well and shaking the bars ( _Someone have mercy)_. But they were all far away from him ( _God! Someone please do something!)_. The rain covering up the sounds and the riging bang in his ears…

( _Why wasn't he doing anything?)_

This…

This wasn't supposed to happen. Not again…

Memories resurfaced, playing like a movie, but a too vivid. Too real movie. His dead parents, Martha and Thomas Wayne. His mother and father dead in an alley; killed by some common thug. A gun. That was what killed them. Him, left all alone in that alley as he watched his mother's pearls hit the ground.

...Only this wasn't a memory. It was happening again.

That gun was now fired again

That alley was now this warehouse.

That thug was now this guard.

Those pearls his baby son.

That movie was now this moment.

Bruce felt his legs buckle underneath him as he gripped the bars and strangled howls gripped at his chest, head bowed and frame violently shaking, biting down hard on the inside of his cheek to keep himself from crying. Or screaming. Or a mixture of the two. But he wouldn't allow himself to cry, not in front of that… that bastard that killed his son!

He looked up, his disheveled state brushing off in moments, hands releasing the crushed bars of abused metal. Bruce brought his eyes up to look at the guy who merely stared at his gun and the darkness beyond his flashlight. Is that all he felt? Amazement or surprise that he shot a toddler? That he, without knowledge of it, shot batman's child?

"Huh", huffed the man as if laughing in amusement but with disgust. "That's fucking disgusting. Having a baby do your dirty work of getting you freaks out of a cage, you know I think the kid was better off being on the receiving end of the bullet." He chuckled, lip twitching into a sick, twisted smile.

Superman raised his head slightly, having recovered a bit of energy from the released collar, his eyes narrowing in a deadly manner a snarl twisting his feature. _Disgusting? That's all he had to say about the baby he shot?!_

 _Better off shot?!_ The man of steel stood shakily, but muscles extending in anger, he was about to give the man hell for the _disgusting_ mistake he did in shooting Dick Grayson. This man was demented, but he wouldn't be for much longer if he got a single chance to decapitate him.

He opened his mouth to have a word with the murderer, only to experience fury he never felt before, grabbing the collar at his feet, taking hold of the kryptonite stone on the collar, and crushing it to pieces in his hand. He was ready to have a word with the murder- no, that monstrous piece of shit!

Before he could open his mouth however to speak, red hood beat him to it.

"DISGUSTING? **DISGUSTING!?** ", Jason said as he suspended from above, glaring down at the guard. "You shooting a kid?! THAT'S WHAT I CALL FUCKING DISGUSTING! I SHOULD HAVE SHOT YOU WHEN I HAD THE CHANCE!"

"Watch it Redman, I don't give a fuck about the damn kid, but I do give a shit about the amount of noise you're making there", the guard said as he sent a pointed look to Red Hood, smiling still. A silent taunt. "You know, I feel like there's too much aggression here. Why don't we take it down a notch?"

The guard smiled wickedly as he aimed his gun at the red themed vigilantes, planning on shooting all three of them. Sure the other two didn't say anything, but where was the fun in just killing one loud mouth. Besides his boss made it clear that they mattered very little to him, beyond using them as bait or just as a small, as his boss put it "side course".

He cocked his gun, finger on the trigger about to pull. The other league heros screaming for him to stop, batman roaring the loudest. In a sick way, Jason liked the fact the Bats was demanding and desperately pleading with the man not to shoot him. A smile almost slipped into his face, only to fall as he realised the trajectory of the gun was aimed to not only shoot him, but Damian as well. Sure he didn't like the kid all that much, but not enough to want to see him killed.

The former robin began to struggle in order to throw the man off, not getting very far. The guard smirked, this was gonna be fun.

Batman watched as the gun was aimed at his remaining family, crying out and shouting empty threats at the man, along with the recovering heroes. He couldn't see more of his children die in front of him. He couldn't. He'd rather kill himself that watch and do nothing to save them.

 **BANG!**

The trigger was pulled.

A large bang sounded across the room.

But the gun was aimed somewhere else.

The bullet wasn't lodged into any of the robins.

But rather a small toddler had the bullet in his hand.

Dick's impassive eyes glinting in the from the light now shining on him, the toddler's fist holding the stray bullet.

What he did next made Bruce's heart almost stop. Dick opened his tiny mouth. There between his few teeth a bullet was caught between them. He hadn't been shot. He'd cheated death once more.

 **REVIEWS ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED AND WILL ALL BE READ. PLEASE LET ME KNOW YOUR THOUGHT ON THIS CHAPTER**

 **-Blubird513**


	22. Crying brings the reaper closer

PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW ON THIS. AND HAVE A HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

"The hell?!", the guard yelled as he saw the bullet drop to the ground. That fucking kid had a bullet in his mouth! THE FUCKING KID HAD A BULLET IN HIS MOUTH! "OH. Hell. nah! I ain't dealing with this shit right now!", the guard yelled as he cocked his gun again, aiming at Dick as he inched closer to the toddler.

That wasn't going to stand by Bruce, as he immediately snapped out of the haze and ran towards the lock on the chargeless cage, prodding and picking the lock. He looked up every few seconds, getting more worried as Dick made no efforts to move. In fact Dick showed no expression on his face, he didn't even spit out the bullet.

He just stood there.

His son's face was unemotional. It was devoid of fear, worry, anger. There was nothing behind those empty, wide eyes. There was no malice, there was no intent, there was no war, there was no peace.

It was emptiness.

"What the hell are you?", the guard asked the child rhetorically, he knew the child wouldn't answer. Hell, the guy didn't want an answer, he just wanted to shoot the damn brat and kill him, make sure it wouldn't show up again. A cruel smile crawled it's way to the guard's face, "Eh, no matter I suppose", he said as he threw his shoulders up nonchalantly. "It won't matter to me soon."

The guard put his finger on the trigger, smirking as the screaming resumed from all directions, faintly making out the sounds of the cage lock being frantically picked. He smirked wider. Those fools. They wouldn't put a real lock on it, they put a fake one, something to buy them time in case the power went out on the cage. If the cage wasn't shocking them, at least they couldn't get out. This was truly hilarious.

"Sayonara, freak!", The guard said as he pulled the trigger, smirking all the way.

 **BANG!**

Flash's eyes widened in horror, his vision slowing everything down in slow motion as he watched the rushing bullet… aiming straight for Dick. He turned to look at the toddler's face, a sickening way to at least see the boy he saw grow up with his nephew, Wally, before he met the inevitable end of that gun. He caught hold of the sight of the soulless, bottomless blue eyes. And then suddenly….

Everything seemed to move a million frames per second.

The toddler spit the bullet out of his mouth.

A eeri screeching sound filled the room for a flashing moment, followed by a clinking noise as a split bullet hit the ground.

Everything hit Flash a second later, his mind barely comprehending what just happened.

Dick had spit the bullet out…

At such a high speed…

That when it hit the other bullet….

He managed to…

 _He managed to split the bullet in half…_

The split bullet lied silently on the floor now, and yet all eyes were on it, all except Dick's who did nothing but stare at the now hysterical guard. The armed man began to breath a bit more rapidly as he backed up a few steps away from Dick, the child still watching. He snapped under the steely, puterb gaze. "GODDAMMIT!", the guard roared as he fired the gun over and over again.

"STOP!" **BANG!**

"LOOKING!" **BANG!**

"AT!" **BANG!**

"ME!" **Click, click click….**

The guard's fritzy gaze shot down at his shaking hand that held the gun. He frantically pulled the trigger only to be answered with the sound confirming that he shot his entire round of bullets. The guard let out a shaky breath, trying to calm his racing heart. He looked up slowly to where he last saw the kid, expecting there to be a bloody, bullet ridden body.

Yet, the kid still stood there, three bullets lined up in front of him. He was still watching him, he wouldn't stop watching him, he was always watching.

The guard felt tears slip down his face in his hysteria, he was really freaking out. He wanted to kid to stop! HE NEEDED HIM TO STOP WATCHING HIM!

He threw the gun towards the toddler at full strength, hoping to at least make the kid look at that instead. It didn't work. The toddler caught the gun in his tiny hand, without so much as flinching, gaze unchanging. The man began sobbing, screaming as he cried, " **STOP LOOKING AT ME! I JUST WANT YOU TO STOP! JUST STOP!"**

The silence in the room was an overwhelming blanket, a pin could be dropped and heard, but the child's voice was the straw the broke the silent camel's back.

"No _",_ came the whispered hush of the toddler, as he flung the gun at the guard, hitting him square in the head.

He watched coldly as the the man crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

Dick spared the unconscious man his gaze for a second, before directing it back to the heroes in the cage.

Bruce did not hesitate to get on his knees to motion the child forward to him, though he kept in mind the series of unusual events in his mind. Cautiauslly he motion Dick forward with his hand, trying to guide him back towards the cage, in an attempt to at least secure his son.

Or was it an unconscious attempt to stop further deviations of the son he raised?

To not further taint the memory of Dick Grayson, with a child who behaved like a moving corpse?

Nonetheless he continued to call Dick toward the cage.

However his efforts went unfruitful, Dick didn't listen to him, instead-

Dick started…. Floating.

The tiny bright eyed child, levitated up towards the ceiling, more specifically the chain that held the Bat family members. Damian was the first to react as he watched his former, older brother go towards them.

"Grayson!? What the hell do you think you're doing!?", Damian yelled as he watched the tiny child head above them towards the chains. Damian's eyes widened. "Grayson, back away from those chains immediately!"

"What's he doing?", Tim said as he shifted, trying to see what the toddler was doing down below, only to see him flying above him, towards the chain suspending them. "Hey no! Dick! Don't touch those chains!"

"Is nobody going to ask, 'How the fuck he's able to float?!", Jason asked, watching as the toddler took hold of the chains. Dick tilted his head to the side, as if pondering, before he went and began to bite the chain.

Bruce squinted his eyes to see what Dick was trying to do, only to be perplexed that the small child was meagerly biting the chains. But to his utter surprise the chain snapped and down fell all four of his boys, the vigilante father tensing as he saw them come to an abrupt stop in mid air. Dick was floating and grabbing the end of the chain, easing down gently, as to give them a softer landing.

Once the chained members of the batfamily reached the ground, the strangest thing happened. Dick let go of the rest of the chain and stopped floating, hitting the ground from where he once floated a good meter or so above. Bruce slightly winced at the fall, it was a bit of a drop for a baby, but he thought that after what Dick had done, a simple fall wouldn't be much.

To everyone's horror however, Dick's baby blues filled with unshed tears and he let out a heartbreaking wail. Soon enough big tears poured out of the baby's eyes as he used his tiny fists to clear them away, though he continued to cry desperately.

A burning red light filled the room in a burst of power, clearing to reveal a woman with long brown hair and a blood red dress, a scythe in her grasp. Bloody mary. She whipped her head from side to side, a murderous look on her face, before she stopped at upon seeing a crying baby boy, with familiar ebony hair.

Three more lights then filled the room: blue, yellow and black. Belladonna, Michael and Blake. They all looked panicked as they too frantically looked around the room, spotting the red reaper walking towards the baby. As soon as Dick caught sight of Mary, he began to cry even harder and tried to reach for her with his tiny arms, making little fists.

"Oh um, miss Mary?", Michael asked cautiously as he stepped forward, only to watch in concern and shock as Mary ran over to the baby and scooped it up in her arms. The young soul collector, flinched a little as she spun the baby around. She wasn't supposed to know about this!, Michael though as his panicked gaze fell on his two other companions, who held equal expressions of shock and distress.

"Oh goodness, you little angel!", Mary cried as she began to cradle the babe in her arms. She lovingly tapped the tip of his nose, making the baby let out a now happy squeal. Dick was absolutely radiating joy, finally someone he knew! "Oh, there there." She cooed, before she snapped her head up to meet the other three reapers in the room, who flinched under her gaze.

"Where in your right minds, did you believe it was appropriate to misinform me about Dick!?", She screamed at the three. Dick still happily smiling up at the deadly woman, while the three young reapers could only sheepishly look down in fear and shame, as they knew they were in for an earful. "Come on speak up!"

"Well um, Miss Mary", Michael started as he ran his hand nervously through his blonde, curly hair. "We didn't tell ya because, um…" His gaze desperately shifted to the blue haired female next to him, begging her to take over the explanation. Belladonna sighed.

"Yes?", Mary said raising a brow at Michael.

"Well, we know how you get with children and you know…", Belladonna continued twiddling her gloved hands, trying to think of how to gently tell the elder reaper why she couldn't know about Dick, being turned into a baby. "We didn't want you to…"

"To what? To hell with it and tell me!", Mary demanded, absentmindedly bouncing the happy baby up and down.

"We didn't want you to get clingy to him!", Blake yelled after caving in from the pressure. He was way too nervous to deal with pleasantries right now. He already felt like he was going to lose one of his horns from sheer stress alone, either that or cry.

"We know you like children and you coddle and love them so", the demon reaper continued hastily. "But Simon made a sort of agreement to let him see his inadequate, former human family every once in a while."

Although Blake didn't voice his opinions on Dick's family out loud, he made it clear to the rest of the reapers that it was a bad idea to let Dick go with them. He slightly bared his sharp teeth at the thought of the argument he held with Simon about it, he wasn't backed up much though, Mary wasn't able to know and Michael and Belladonna couldn't argue with the elder.

"We were going to tell you after the end of the visit! We swear! We were just so worried you were going to kidnap him back!", Blake finished, huffing out a breath, one that might be his last one.

Blake all the while had closed his eyes shut and mentally prepared himself for an hell of a session, but instead…

"So what you are telling me, is that I wasn't informed of this transaction at all, Simon didn't ask for my take on this little agreement, and he willingly endangered this little angel…. All because you didn't want me too 'Kidnap him back'", Mary asked, eerily calm.

"Well, I wouldn't use the term willingly", Simon's voice echoed throughout the room as he revealed himself jumping down from the ceiling. He quickly paced over to Mary, taking a quick look at the baby in her arms, lifting his head and tilting it as if to check for injuries. Sighing in relief from the lack of lacerations, he prepared himself to give the superheroes, (failures of a family for Dick) he added mentally, a piece of his mind, when he was suddenly grabbed by the ear and tugged back. He withered slightly under Bloody Mary's rageful face.

"OH no! You're not getting off the hook that easy, Simon!", she screamed. Turning her hateful gaze to all the heroes and reapers in the room, except for the babbling baby in her right arm, she roared. "I WILL ONLY ASK THIS ONCE! WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS!?"

Mary was determined to get an answer, even if that landed someone six feet underground...


	23. Excuses and custody arrangements

In the watchtower.

* * *

The brunette woman in red, paced the floor in a mad daze, boots clicking and echoing her angry steps. Her sytche a temptation, one for beheading and releasing the tension. Her hands constantly twitched, but Mary remained composed.

At least as composed as she could get.

After all, as she stepped fire formed behind her, raging and raviging the ground below it.

She was put into a separate room from the meeting room, a fireproof room, to let her cool off. She was honestly running on low patience and for certain not able to handle the humans trying to explain themselves.

After demanding an explanation, Simon went ahead and explained the situation, including having ordered the humans to not engage the serial killer who was interfering with their work.

She had let Simon off the hook, but not without giving him an earful about keeping secrets.

Then after that the humans tried to give reason to their actions.

They tried to give them an explanation about 'not being able to just stand by and watch', 'nobility and the good of the people', 'innocent lives' and all the cliche excuses they've heard before.

She couldn't take their incessant blabbing.

Her rage would eventually pool over and cause her to break a few necks for their sheer incelense if they continued to pull more of their bullshit excuses out of their asses. And they were mistaken if they thought Simon would listen to their pleads. She paused her pacing then.

Her rage however would never compared to that of Simon's however.

Simon's anger was catastrophic when he lost control of it, thankfully he was rather good at keeping it under wraps.

Yet the aura he emitted at the moment was a in a hellish like demeanor, she could only wonder what was happening in the meeting room.

Mary shook her head and began pacing once more, but not without a slight smile on her face.

Simon wasn't going to take their crap that was as sure as hell.

* * *

"You incompetent, imbecile, ignorant simpletons!", Simon yelled, baring teeth, pacing back and forth like a caged lion. "I specifically said _do not engage!_ But what do you do! You sought them out, and guess what?! It found you and captured you!"

Simon in his rage began to form a void under his feet, much like the one he formed at the Wayne manor, only this one began to slowly spread on the ground, causing half the room to start collapsing in on itself.

Michael held a sleeping Dick in his arms, as he watched the void grow, stepping back as it swallowed a chair. When Simon was mad he could be terrifying, an boy did these mortals have a death wish.

Not only did they not follow his order, they put his kid in danger and their captor went on a killing spree while the heroes were decommissioned, they distracted them from stopping the killings to come and save them, and now the killer knows them by face and name.

And Simon wasn't happy about any of it, not one bit.

Michael looked over to Belladonna and Blake, who both looked uninterested and bored with what was happening in the room.

Michael honestly wondered if they often saw Simon mad.

After a seconds-worth of wondering, the blonde shrugged, they probably ticked the old reaper off more times that they could count.

But they honestly didn't need another casualty, especially where this "meeting" was heading, but he wouldn't intervene. Too risky for his health.

Meanwhile the league were at attention watching the dark void extend towards them, threatening to swallow them too.

Bruce scowled, any more of this any they would surely perish in this room. Simon needed to calm down before he hurt someone.

As if he read his mind, Simon stopped. He softly spoke after that, "At least you are all safe now…" Simon quickly closed the void back up, the ground reforming, not a blemish or sign that there was ever any hole.

Simon walked over to Michael carefully taking Dick back into his arms, assuring the blonde reaper that he wasn't unstable anymore. Carefully he cradled the toddler, shushing him back to sleep when he slightly fussed at being passed around. He looked back up at the league.

"What you did today was a grave mistake, because of you disobeying my orders, more people died today. And by more people I mean, more than the usual if you had not been captured, but instead rescuing and providing medical aid to victims", Simon said, sighing in disappointment.

"I have my reasons when I give you orders to not engage, that was one of the reasons. I can't always explain things to you in full detail, because even I don't know the future. You put various numbers of people in danger, yourselves, us and Dick in danger."

He turned to Batman, who was no longer scowling, but looking down at the ground in a blank expression.

Simon spoke once more, "Batman, I don't know what to tell you. I've been generous in my forgiveness and allowance to be in contact with Dick. However now, I do not believe it would be a good idea to leave him in your custody-"

"Wait a minute! You can't do that!", Damian yelled, making himself known. The three surrogate brothers had remained quiet all throughout the display, but they couldn't remain silent at being denied to see their older brother again.

"Yeah! What the fuck?", Jason yelled stepping forward.

"You can't take Dick away like that! You can't deny him the right to see his family!", Tim yelled as he too stepped up with red hood and robin. They were about to continue arguing, but Bruce, held out his hand to stop them.

"Macabre, you can't do this", Bruce said in a deadly tone, challenging the reaper to say more. Simon only raised a brow.

"If you would let me finish, I would've said that I can't leave him in your full custody, but rather have at least one reaper overlook the stay", Simon said, adjusting his glasses with a 'click'. "And threats won't help me change my mind that you are a suitable guardian for Dick."

Simon snapped his fingers, summoning a red light, that from which Mary stepped out of, looking much more passive.

"Mary", Simon started. He carefully passed her the sleeping baby, which she gladly cradled like a teddy bear. "I want you to monitor Dick while he stay at the Wayne manor, although you will have to allow the humans to interact with them, you will have partial to full custody rights. Do you understand me?"

Mary upon hearing Simon's words had a ear-splitting smile on her face. She would get to spend more time with the little angel, and teach these humans a lesson on TLC for babies, not whatever they were doing. Oh and was she going to teach them right. "Clear as rain, Simon", she said as she smirked at the Bat family's direction.

 **PLEASE REVIEW. YOUR COMMENTS ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED.**


	24. Silly baby

**MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE. PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW, I really do want to know what you think of this one.**

It wasn't right. At least not to Bruce. Dick just looked to happy to see the bloody red reaper, to be held by the madly-grinning woman as he toyed with her hair. She looked escatic as the baby gurgled at her. She was smiling with the radiance of a thousand suns. Absolutely ecstatic…

It struck him as odd, that his son was so vibrant and joyful when in the presence of the soul collectors, but when he was with them he acted so… detached and dead in their presence. Bruce shut his eyes, contemplating the death of his son once more. Had it changed his son to believe or behave differently?

He grasped the fact that Dick no longer recognized them, but he knew they were once family. Then why didn't he behave as such? Why didn't Dick react to them? Was it that the reapers told him otherwise?

Bruce clasped his hands in thought. His son was confused. That was it, he thought. That had to be it, Bruce assured himself. After all they were all giving their best efforts to make Dick remember them and feel at home, he just doesn't understand it yet.

If Bruce hadn't been too immersed in his thoughts, he would've seen Mary stiffen suddenly and eyes grow cold and severe. He would have seen her scowl and sneer silently at him, adjusting her hold on the baby in the meantime. He would have seen Dick look at him, truly look at him, for the first time ever after his death.

Instead he was finding excuses and reasons for his wasted effort.

Jason, Tim and Damian, although they didn't say much in the limo, were all racing and battling fear. The felt cold dread at being close to the red reaper, she was fucking crazy.

When she began to question all of them in the warehouse, she lost her mind at their explanations. She didn't want excuses. That's when she took her scythe and flung it violently at the wall of the cinder-block building, making the entire wall capsize. She wasn't a person to underestimate.

When they saw her eyes shade over darkly, they immediately tensed. Even Damian's stoic face fell as he watched her carefully. Her aggression was on clear display, but she remained immobile and eventually focused back on Dick, smile just a bit more sincere now.

Creppy, Damian thought as he scooted a bit further from the lady-

"Oh for goodness sake, I don't bite, child!", Mary said not even sparing a glance at Damian. She did however sense a shift in atmosphere, she almost cackled at their surprise. She looked over at her side, where Jason sat and he was staring blankly at her. 'Bat glare', she thought unimpressed. "Are you gonna propose or what?", she bit out.

"What-?", Jason got out before being interrupted, glare falling flat.

She smirked and hissed out, "Yeah that's what I thought, eyes forward, kid."

She watched him snap his eyes forward obediently, _teenagers, they act so tough but at the end they're nothing more than headstrong children_. She looked out the window, watching snow begin to descend. "It'll be christmas day in more than a few hours, have anything planned in particular?", Mary asked, watching them silently.

"For christmas, we might just have breakfast and set up a Christmas gala for tonight, maybe another one on New Years", Bruce responded still in his thinking pose, eyes still downcast. Mary rolled their eyes, of course they'd have a giant christmas party, not just a simple family, one on one time.

She sighed disappointedly, much had to be done as soon as they arrived at the manor.

The limo soon arrived at the Wayne manor and Mary was more than happy to step out with a very joyful baby in arms. Dick began to look around himself at the falling snow, eyes filled with obvious wonder and joy as he began to reach for the snowflakes in his chubby hands. Mary watched as he did so, from the corner spotting Bruce heading their way.

No doubt he'd ask to carry the baby. The woman in red wouldn't allow that however, he'd just take him right back inside to that horrid home. Instead of handing Dick over, she began to lift him and herself up into the air, letting the squealing baby catch snowflake after snowflake.

She herself began to do twists and turns in the air, letting the Wayne family watch them from the ground. She smirked, they better be getting something from this.

Bruce however didn't get it, they needed to get back inside and prepare. Instead… they were just flying around like they have nothing else to do! He grunted as he turned a heel and walked inside the house, the robins following behind. Mary, realizing her audience had left, decided to leave them to their own devices, she wanted to see the baby's room first.

In a flash of red light, she transported herself to the room of the acrobat, looking about it when the glare dissipated. Dick began to whimper and hid himself in the dress the bloody Mary wore, while she examined the room with narrow eyes. Had they gone mad?!

The room was dark and unwelcoming, a few toys here and there, all of them seemed superhero themed however. _I wonder who chose that_ , she thought bitterly. She looked over at the crib, it seemed comfortable enough, but it wasn't. No. It was a close-off with human contact. Mary shook her head as she growled, kicking one of the toys into a far corner in the room, smiling as Dick began to laugh and clap at what she did.

Silly Baby.

"Don't worry baby", Mary said turning the little ebony haired child in her grasp. "I'll set these silly humans straight." The baby turned to look at her, a curious look on his face. Mary shook her head in good manner as she stepped out of the room with the baby in her hold.

Going down the hall and to the stairway she pause and looked down at the manor's residents, watching them prepare for the gala. She watched them silently, shaded by the lack of lighting in the upstairs area.

She scoffed. _A gala? Preposterous, more like an excuse to not act like a family. This… this dysfunctional group of people have little to no idea what they need. Neglecting the emotional needs of a baby. They are cruel and hostile creatures, all of them-_

Her train of thoughts were interrupted as she heard Dick mutter. Not babble baby language, but actual coherent words. She swore that her hatred for this "family" grew, her patience shrivel and her unwillingness to stay here any longer was unbearable. What she heard she'll never forget.

"Bad home here", Dick said as he buried his face into her dress again. Her heart gave a painful lurch as he hear him sob against the fabric. It wasn't loud enough to alert anyone of their presence, but that didn't make it any less painful to hear.

"I want to go home. No more dark, no more lonely, no more sad, angry people. I don't want party, I want hugs. I don't want manor, I want a home. I don't want them, I want you. Please just let me go home…", Dick pleaded as his sobbing intensified, muddying up all his words to an incoherent level.

The reaper herself let tears slip from her eyes as she heard her baby cry. _Oh Simon, please just let this all end soon so we can take him back home,_ she pleaded in her mind as if the stoic reaper was in the stairway with them. But as sure as hell had fire, she'd talk to Simon. Convince him that this was madness and that Dick should just come home with them.

She'd _make_ him understand if he didn't agree. Tomorrow she'll have to have Belladonna, Michael or Blake come and supervise. She needed to talk to Simon as soon as possible. She turned her attention back to the child with that plan in mind, and softly began to dry the baby's tears with her gloved hand. Dick just sniffled and hiccuped a bit as he slowly stopped crying, watching Mary with big blue eyes.

Mary could only smile as she offered him words of comfort. "Don't worry baby, i'll talk to Simon and make sure he understands you don't like it here. We'll bring you back home soon away from the silly humans", she cooed at him, while Dick began to clap and laugh again, this time having no doubt caught someone's attention downstairs.

Mary sighed, hopefully this would all really end soon. With that final though she descended down the stairs.


	25. NEW YEARS ANNOUNCEMENT

LISTEN UP EVERYONE! AS A NEWYEAR'S PRESENT, THIS STORY SHALL BE REMASTERED FROM THIS POINT AND BACK. NEW CHAPTERS SHALL BE COMING UP SOON AS WELL.

ALL THE REMASTERED CHAPTERS SHALL HAVE A MUCH DEEPER AMOUNT OF STORY SO LOOK OUT FOR THAT!

I SHALL PUT A LITTLE Star * AT THE TOP OF EACH REMASTERED CHAPTER.

HAPPY HOLDAYS!


	26. Butler, Cooking, Numbers

Alfred looked around the kitchen, gathering the necessary cooking utensils to prepare some food for the gala scheduled later. Alfred sighed as he looked at the clock near the stove, he only had a few hours to prepare.

The old butler hadn't been able to start preparing sooner after the young master Richard had given him quite a heart attack with his disappearing act.

Alfred chuckled lowly, more in relief than in anything else at the moment. He wasn't very amused to have been made to go in a mad-dash around the manor, in a failed attempt to find the little boy.

 _Richard wasn't even within the manor…_ , The old butler thought wryly as he rolled his sleeves up to begin chopping the vegetables. But just as he turned to the counter to get the knife, he was rather surprised to find a young curly-haired, blond man holding the utensil towards him.

He was rather baffled as the young man raised a brow at him, standing there nonchalantly, as if he's always been in the kitchen.

"Do you need this, Mr. Pennyworth?", The blond asked as he pointed the knife at the old butler, in a non-threatening manner. Alfred gave a curt nod, not saying much else as he directed a critical eye at the younger, taking the knife from him all the while.

"May I ask who you are, and what is your business here in the kitchen, young man?", Alfred asked, watching the man tug a bit at the collar of his sweater, looking around the kitchen slightly distracted.

"My name is Michael, sir. I am the reaper that was assigned to overlook Richard's stay at the manor", he said as he began to walk over to Alfred, curiously watching the butler handle the vegetables under the knife. "As for being in the kitchen, I was rather curious as to who was in it, which was you, Mr. Pennyworth."

Alfred absentmindedly nodded, used to hearing bizarre answers from most people he encountered, though he still kept an eye on the young man. The old butler had his reasons to be skeptical about the younger.

 _Wasn't there already another reaper in the manor?,_ Alfred asked himself as he chopped the carrots, dropping the knife as Michael responded back. As if he read his mind…

"You are right about that Mr. Pennyworth, Miss Mary is still within the manor", The curly haired man spoke as he quickly swooped around the counter twirling the once falling knife, on the tip of his finger. "However, she shall soon be departing to attend to other matters, hence why i'm here. To fill in her place."

Michael twirled the knife around for a while longer, gently guiding Alfred away from the vegetable cutting table, taking over instead. He quickly made do by chopping all the vegetables visible to his eyes, moving the vegetables under the knife quickly, cutting them to little pieces.

 _Not too different from my work,_ Michael thought to himself in amusement as his movements began to blur with the speed of his work.

Alfred watched with quiet awe as the young man finished preparing the vegetables, the reaper not even seeming tired. Michael took a step back, admiring his work before handing the knife back to a baffled alfred.

 _How did he-?_

"I have extensive experience with sharp tools, sir. Knives are no challenge to me in a kitchen. I'm not as young as I look Mr. Pennyworth", Michael said with a sly smile as he took his place back at the counter.

Alfred looked from the vegetables, to the knife, to Michael and back again. To say the least, he was impressed. But the butler soon composed himself with a cough, retaking his place in the counter, slipping the chopped vegetables into the various different pots and pans.

Michael watched the man silently work, not having much to say. He was honestly expecting everyone in the manor to be as ignorant, brute, and uptight as the bat crazy vigilantes. Yet, the butler didn't seen that bad, honestly he seemed like the only sensible one in the entire estate.

Michael huffed, _that means he and Dick are the only ones I can keep my patience with…_ He turned his attention back at the butler, having noticed that the butler was still looking in his direction.

He must've huffed louder than he thought, that or the the old man was also a mind reader. Michael was more comfortable with the first option.

The blond reaper, straightened up in his seat, a bit nervous and self-conscious from the butler staring at him, but he was determined to take lead here. He wasn't going to let himself be pushed around by humans.

"Forgive me if this sounds like an interrogation Mr. Pennyworth, but how long have you worked here?", Michael asked, deciding to finally strike up a real conversation, catching the butler by surprise. Michael smiled cheekily, _who's in control now eh?_

"A very long time, since the years of master Bruce's youth", The old butler responded absentmindedly, still a bit on edge from the reaper's sudden curiosity of his profession.

"How would you describe working for the resident's of this manor?", Michael asked, toying around with the salt shaker, ceasing when he sensed the butler's hesitance. "I already know about them being vigilantes, there is no need to be hesitant or discreet."

Alfred thought it over in split seconds, even with his age, his judgement was still sharp. He could speak freely to a degree to this man.

"Working with the residents of this manor has been a few… interesting years of my career. The boys are all rambunctious and what not. There are fights here and there, but there is always reconciliation", Alfred said as he fondly smiled at the antics of his mismatched family, Michael frowned however.

"What about their heroism, their wanting to be out there saving people?", Michael asked as he looked out to the farthest window in the kitchen area. "What's home-life like with that added touch?"

At this Alfred frowned, "Their life as heroes, is a honorable one…" Alfred met the reapers gaze, something melancolic in the other's expression insisted he explain further. "They fight for those that can't and risk life and limb so that other live their lives in peace. They are carrying the world on their shoulders asking for nothing, expecting nothing in return."

"No sir, I asked for what home-life is like, not how they are", Michael said a frustrated edge to his voice. Alfred raised a hesitant brow at him, but Michael didn't relent. He wanted answers.

Alfred sighed before he spoke again, "It's not an ideal family. Master Bruce insists on keeping to himself, ever since his parents passed at the hands of a criminal. Letting the boys into his life, although an honorable deed, seems like a wrong choice.

"Master Bruce's rashness and stoicism, isn't the best attitude to have with children. He is much more immersed in his work and his personas. They are but mere acts, but they are so deeply rooted into him that they bleed into reality and don't allow for much else in attitudes. The boys look up to Master Bruce, but to an unhealthy extent.

"They want to impress him, they want BATMAN'S approval. But they have been taught to not expect love from their guardian. No matter if they were raised on the streets or not, love and affection is crucial to each child's life. A guardian's love, a parent's love is one of the only shows of humanity left in this world.

"That humanity… well-"

"Is not present in this household", a third voice spoke out directing both men's gazes as the bloody Mary stood at the doorway, head held high as she carried the quiet toddler in her arms. She walked up to Michael, Alfred watching the two intently and with interest.

"Michael, I will be departing now. I need you to keep an eye on Dick, remember Simon's rules however", She said with light warning in her voice, however Michael inwardly scoffed, _follow rules she says, bet she didn't follow them a few minutes ago._

Michael froze as he looked up at Mary, only to see her giving him an icy glare. Michael withered slightly, _right! Mind reading…._

He slowly straightened himself out, arms extended to take Richard from Mary's arms. The toddler stayed completely silent as the transaction happened, eyes void and staring at the butler in the room. Alfred looked at the boy with wariness, there was something slightly horrific in the child's gaze, much colder and hostile than a bat scowl.

Eventually the child blinked, seeming slightly dazed before looking back at Michael, smiling and giggling as Michael began to coo at him. Mary exchanged some final word with Michael, before turning back to Dick. The lady-in-red got down to eye level with the baby, before speaking.

"Dick, honey, I have to go now", she started, making the child's happy complexion melt into a crestfallen expression. She continued, in a much lighter tone, "But Michael will take care of you, and Bella and Blake will be here soon too."

At that, Dick smiled and began to clap his hands as a joyous laughter erupted from him. The adults in the room couldn't help but smile fondly at the baby's happy demeanor, he seemed so _angelic_. Alfred wilted slightly as he remembered that Dick might as well be a walking angel, after all he did…

He didn't finish that thought. He wouldn't finish it. Master Dick was home, safe and sound and _alive_. Nothing else matters. There is no longer a need to mourn.

"Mr. Pennyworth?", Mary addressed with question, bringing Alfred back to the present. She continued now with his full attention, "After a brief overview, we have determined that you are the butler of this manner, as well as one of the guardians of this family."

She received no answer from Alfred, except a single, curt nod. She continued clasping her hands together softly, "Under Michael's observations of you, he's determined that you seem most fit for understanding the situation at hand with a clear mind."

"Madam?", Alfred questioned raising an eyebrow at the reaper in red. _What situation?_

"The situation is that Dick is no longer a normal human, he has needs that normal people don't have. We are capable of caring for him, and we are his current legal adoptive family", Mary explained as she looked over to Dick in Michael's arms.

"We agreed to let him visit his, former **Foster family** , for the sake of the investigation of murders at hand. We however are not willing to risk Dick's health in a petty war for custody, much less his life", she walked over to Alfred, a slip of paper in hand. She extended it to him.

"If and when, he regains a few years, give him this number so he may maintain contact with us when he's here", Mary said as she lowered her head in crestfalleness, her extended hand slightly, and weakly shaking.

She didn't want to do this. She didn't want to be able to hear her child through a phone. She wanted to see him, to hug him, to be there for him whenever, wherever he needed her. She wanted to convince Simon to just bring him back home, but…

….If she can't convince him. What else can she do? What effect will even bringing up the subject have?

She knew Simon was uncomfortable with the topic of talking about Dick's past life with the Wayne's, especially after having to give him up. A part of Simon that Dick had brought out, withered silently the day Simon didn't bring Dick back home.

Simon had thrown himself into his work, after that. Ever rarely did she see him now and again, but when she did, she could tell he was in a compromised state of health and mind. He was running himself ragged with the murder cases, the deaths piling up high, entire towns and cities being cleared, but nothing to lead him back to who committed the murders. He couldn't even preform his reaping job correctly anymore, as his death count started to lag.

He isn't thinking straight.

She needed to talk to him tonight.

 _Just one chance_ , Mary thought to herself as she handed the slip of paper to the butler. Swiftly walking away as soon as the number was in his hand.

Dick watched Mary leave the kitchen, and in a clumsy manner made Michael put him on the floor. As soon as he touched ground, Dick waddled to the doors of the manor, seeing Mary open and disappear behind one. He finally stopped at the door and looked up to the knob.

Michael, not far behind, reached Dick at the door, watching the child in a sad, tired manner. The tot turned to him and looked back at the door, thrusting his tiny hand up and pointing at the knob.

"Door! Door!", Dick chirped quietly as he pointed at the knob, desperately trying to get Michael to open it. He wanted to go find Mary.

Michael rand a hand through his hair, twisting the knob in compliance to the child's wishes. Dick stepped hurriedly out the way of the opening door, his baby blue eyes glimmering in excitement at going to find the red reaper behind the door.

But his excitement was cut short as the toddler saw nothing but falling and twisting snow, in a blizzard like manner. Michael slowly lifted Dick off the ground, noticing that the toddler had gone deadly still once more. Michael cast his eyes downward again, _why can't they just go home?_

Alfred watched both of them from the kitchen doorway, watching as they both stood, looking out at the mild blizzard. The old butler sighed silently, looking down at the crumpled slip of paper in his palm. He tenderly strengthened it out before putting it in the breast pocket of his suit.

He slowly began to retreat back into the kitchen to continue cooking for the gala, but not before flinching as he heard the faint words of Master Dick echo at the doorway.

"Mama?" '

 **A/N- i'm sorry for the long wait. I wanted to make sure that a good portion of the story was remastered before posting this chapter. I'm trying to put more meat into these chapters in terms of the reapers having slightly more character and Dick being more involved instead of a plot device. As for the rest of the** **bat family** **, I do need to** **mention** **them more, but it's hard to do it when the reapers want them to be avoided.**

 **Alfred got another chapter YAY! And Michael got thrown into the limelight for a bit. Mary has some work to do now. Blake and Belladonna shall arrive soon. Simon... he'll be busy in the time being.**

 **The murder case is getting out of hand. and quick.**

 **Something needs to be done...**


	27. Falling apart

**Disclaimer- I don't own anything, but my own characters. Everything else belongs to DC.**

 _It's not ideal, what's happening._

 _It's a tragic innocence, that these people had._

 _Prideful, stubborn, naive, innocent._

 _It's unfortunate._

 _These people all had a story._

 _We can only read one._

Simon looked about the rubble he was standing on, rubble that was once a house, that was once a home, that was once a part of a village, a village that was burned down.

The grim kept his gaze to the ground, cold and hostile, all in silence he trekked the countryside's, now obsolete, vicinity. The charcoaled wood crunched under his feet, under his cruel steps. It didn't matter, they're dead. What use would a house be now?

Simon kept walking, scythe in a tight grip, his stride not faltering for a second on the uneven landscape. He stepped cruelly on the soft lumps on the ground, grunting as he felt gravity shift it over. _Another fucking body_ …

Simon stopped, got down on his knees and began to remove the debri on the decaying corpse.

 _Soul collection; the finest job in the world,_ Simon remarked to himself dryly as he began to see bits and pieces of the dismembered person. He came to a slow stop as a numb irate feeling came over him, he looked over the small body. _A child, a goddamn child!_

He cursed under his breath violently, as he took his scythe and swifty striked the child's body, features almost void and unreadable as charcoal covered most of the abused body. As soon as the blade was sunk in, he carefully maneuvered the scythe searching for…

Ah! There it is.

He reached into the carcass, pulling out a dull, dim globe of light. He carefully examined it for bruises or scratches. It looked ok enough, but as soon as he turned the globe, he let it drop to the ground in bitter dissatisfaction.

The soul had been ripped out and tainted, cracked and broken from the child's body, along with all the other souls in this god-forsaken area. With a tired scowl, Simon got back on his feet, turned and walked into the distance.

He was done for today.

In the meantime he let himself re-evaluate and reflect his situation. Things had gone from bad to worse, in such a short period of time.

The murder rate had doubled, the suspects kept moving around, he'd been unable to locate them, the league wouldn't listen to his instructions, they're most likely in the murderer's radar and in grave danger. Then this….

Simon let out a frustrated yell before he grabbed his sythe plunging it into the ground, hacking what little was left from the fire. He swung it down violently, his face twisted into a snarl, yells of a feral nature ripping from his throat. He let solemn, angry tears slip once or twice from his face as he mercilessly continued attacking the ground.

Then, as if the world imploded on him, he stopped. Another scythe had come in contact with his, stopping him from stabbing the ground once more. He slowly looked up to see Mary, a tired look in her face making her look ages older. Simon's face dropped it's hostile nature, falling into an impassive tone.

"Mary, what is the meaning of this?", Simon said as he stood up. Gesturing to her, he spoke again, "Why are you here? Shouldn't you be at the manor?"

"I should, just as much as Dick should be back home with us", Mary responded as she tucked her scythe to her side. She heard Simon sigh.

"Mary we have talked about this-", he started, but Mary cut him off.

"No, we haven't!", she yelled at the older, baring her teeth. "We haven't spoken about this because you're never around to talk about it! You only tell us these things last minute-"

She yanks him by the tie towards her, eyes narrowed, poison dripping in her tone.

"-and i'm _sick_ of it!", she ends in a low whisper through clenched teeth.

Simon at first says nothing, but rather raises his hand and clasps her hand in his own, as gently as he can he slowly pushes her hand down, off his tie. Mary doesn't relent and tightens her hold.

Simon blinks, then looks down at the ground, before he speaks.

"I don't intend for these things to happen, i'm trying my best to keep everyone at bay", Simon explains, letting his grip falter. Mary furrows her eyebrows, making him continue. "I am trying to the best of my abilities to handle this on my own, so you don't have to worry."

"Bullshit! We've been worried and on edge for the longest time since you decided to play 'hero' and revive Dick", Mary growled, backpedaling as she realized what she had said. "No. Wait. I don't mean it like that! I'm happy that you saved him, but I- we don't know… we-!"

Her argument died in her throat and it was her turn to look down towards the ground in shame. Simon's eyes widened, uncertainty flooding his senses.

"What did you say-?"

 **SLAP!**

Simon faintly registered the burning sensation on his cheek, the shock of having been slapped overwhelmed the grim as he stared down at the reaper in red. He inched a hand forward to comfort her, when she yanked her face up to meet his gaze, angry tears streaming down her face.

"SHUT UP! I'm done dealing with your overachieving, impassive bullshit!", she yelled at him, making Simon flinch for the first time throughout this entire time. "You know ever since I met you, I knew you were the type to take control of things and accept responsibility and I liked that about you!"

She took a step forward towards him, Simon slowly inching back. She kept walking as she spoke.

"But now when we are thrown around to your reality! You know when you took Richard home and told us about him? You remember that?!", she screamed at him, Simon faltered in his steps as he nodded silently.

"I hate you so much for that! I hated you so much! And you know why? Because you made me fall in love with the idea of a family!", She yelled, tears pouring heavily out of her eyes. "Before that it was just us five, working together! Now with Dick, it was a family that watched out for one another, teaching, caring and fighting for one another. I had a likeness to that of a son, just like the one I used to have, and I dedicated every day to Dick. And I loved it!"

She raised a fist, intent on punching Simon, solidifying her anger at the moment. Simon watched her warily. "I loved it, and this god awful world was finally letting me heal old wounds, I had a future with my family."

"But now...", she whispered quietly, that same poison slipping back into her voice. "Now, everyone's taking that all away from me and all I can do is follow orders and watch what I love be torn apart. Bella, Blake and Michael are all watching too, and they are all looking up to us, and I can't do a goddamn thing!"

Her fist shook violently.

"Simon…"

She looked up at him, he fist unclenching and falling to her side.

"Please make this stop, end this madness", she pleaded with him as she lunged forward and rushed him into a hug. Simon was quick to return the gesture, keeping her close as she pleaded silently for him to fix this mess.

"Simon, just let us bring him home. Don't let him be brought up with them again, please… I need him with me. They had their chance, and they blew it, and they never learned anything…", she mumbled into his coat, Simon bringing her closer to comfort her. "Please… don't do this to us, we're only falling apart."

Simon said nothing at first, just combing his fingers through her long brown hair. He looked out into the distance, watching the sun faintly begin to descend from the sky, lighting up the broken field. He took a breath as he lay his cheek on her head, a tired realization dawning on him as he slipped his eyes closed.

 _He's falling apart as well._

 **A/N- So yeah, this chapter took a while to write. I wanted it to be a confronting argument and highlight a very key difference here between the batman we know and Simon.**

 **Simon ultimately admits he's not okay and accepts the mutual comfort in having someone close by.**

 **Bruce, although he does admit at points he's not well, he channels it all through indifference and hostility. This is something I found key to when it came to where Batman went wrong, there was no sympathizing the character at a certain point.**

 **His parent's death was overused, and the deaths of the robins as well, his romances weren't relatable and his home life wasn't either. He only every pushed everyone away and it got boring and annoying to see that all the time.**

 **He became a very toxic person to live with, and I wanted to portray how heroics don't excuse that fact. Simon's not a hero and has failed to capture this guy on a murder spree, but he's trying his best to be a family man, while** **handling** **all the unimaginable. Knowing you've failed to save a life.**

 **Mary, confronted him as the** **stereotypical** **fed up person, but she showed him great vulnerability, not weakness as the comics and movies try to portray, but genuine helplessness.**

 **And Simon is not one to hit below the belt, after all, he's or a hero or a fighter, but a family man.**

 **That's all.**

 **Anyways thanks for tuning in, leave a review, tell me your thoughts on this, i'll be back with more chapters and remastering. Bye bye for now!**


	28. Under control

**Disclaimer- I don't own anything DC related.**

"What in the actual fuck?"

Blake watched with wide, disbelieving eyes as he watched the squealing toddler perched on the chandelier, swaying it ever so slightly. He'd shift his gaze from the bat brothers, to Michael and Donna, who'd both gotten here before him. Watching them all try and fail to coax the baby down.

"Drake, move out of the way! Grayson! Don't you dare move!", Damian yelled as he shoved the former robin, Tim shoving him back with a glare, saying nothing as he ran to and fro where the chandelier swayed.

"Both of you shut the fuck up! He won't come down if you keep that shit up!", Jason snapped at both of them as he ran up to the stairs, leaping towards one of the perches on the wall, trying to get to Dick, keeping close to the wall and avoiding the windows.

"Donna just go this way! He'll probably follow!", Michael yelled over to the blue haired reaper, bumping into her every so often as he dashed around following the baby.

"Yeah! He'll follow, then fall and crack his head!", she bit back, snapping from one direction to the other keeping up with the active toddler on the ceiling.

The commotion stopped as Dick lurched forward to one end of the chandelier, making it jerk in that same direction, hard.

Blake ran under the chandelier right after the rather violent sway, arms outstretched ready to catch the kid if he fell. The let out a huff in relief as he saw the kid retreat to the center of the crystal ornament.

He turned to the fussing group, who all had their eyes trained to the ceiling, all yelling over each other again, much more frantically this time. He put his fingers to his lips, careful with his fangs, and blew, letting out a hefty whistle, quickly getting their attention.

"Could someone please explain, what the hell is happening? No, wait-", he said, turning to Donna and Michael as he continued, stressing with outstretched arms, "Why aren't you two flying up to get him?! You know what?! I'll do it myself."

Blake got ready to crouch down and jump into a lift off when he was stopped by another voice, coming from the far end of the room.

"Young man, I suggest you don't do that", Alfred speaks up from his place in the kitchen entrance, catching the demon reaper's pointed gaze.

Though unlike his interaction with Michael, Alfred doesn't relent. "Someone from the outside could spot you, and it will not be an easy time trying to explain the unorthodoxy of a flying man in Bruce Wayne's house. Also.."

Alfred stops to tap at his head, to which Blake in confusion mimics, face dropping into an impassive irritated face as his hand collided with his protruding horns. He sighs and throws his arms up at the valid argument, spotting Donna walking over to him and handing him a large top hat, to which Blake takes and begrudgingly places on his head.

"Alright, now that that's taken care of, what do you propose we do?", Blake said eyes narrowed as he looks up at the squealing baby. "You know he'll die if he falls from that height right?"

All eyes turned on him, the Waynes giving him death glares, making Blake throw up his hands in defense.

"I'm just sayin'-"

 **BOP!**

Blake stopped as he felt something plush hit his head, knocking the hat off. He twirled around to look at what hit him: a batman plush. He then heard some laughing behind him, the Waynes and his friends, making his eye twitch a bit.

Blake snatched his hat off the grounds, holding it in his hands, making no move to put it on his head. He let the laughing continue for another second before he let a toothy smirk grace his features.

"Yeah yeah, 5-star comedian", Blake starts as he crumples the top hat in his hand, turning around to face the wisecrack toddler. He aims with a malicious, but playful smile. "How's this for funny?"

Blake launched the crumpled hat up into the air, successfully hitting Dick with the crumpled fabric. What he didn't account for was the hat flopping back to normal, landing on Dick's head, blinding him, making him stumble back….

And fall off the chandelier.

Panic sweeps across the room as the toddler grows closer and closer to the ground, leading a clear-headed Michael to break into a sprint and jumping up to catch the small baby. His body seizing as he almost felt Dick fall out of his grasp, luckily keeping him in hold.

Damian and Tim run towards the grim as soon as he lands, Jason following suit and Alfred as well. Blake stood there for a second, open-mouthed, at least before Donna slaps him in the back of the head, in scorn for his stupidity.

Blake rubs the back of his head, ducking it as he walks to the group, hoping Donna wasn't mad enough to hit him again. But caution aside, he was glad to see that Dick was safe, Michael adjusting his hold on him. Blake's ease dropped as he saw Dick's face, frozen in a deep stare and blank look.

Blake took a deep sigh. Either Dick was scared silly from the fall, or another memory was resurfacing, most likely from the freefall. It wasn't long before Michael and Belladonna noticed too.

"Hey, you alright there, buddy?", Michael said as he shifted Dick around, watching the baby close for any reaction. None of which he got. That got him worried, and he shook harder. "Hey, come on! What's wrong with you?"

"Stop shaking Grayson!"

"What's wrong with him?- Don't do that!"

"What the fuck!? Stop!"

Blake heard that all around as they gathered near the frantic Michael, trying to stop him from losing his cool, especially with a child in hand. Blake stepped forward, reaching out to take Dick from his hands, stopping as he saw the Wayne's do the same.

Michael didn't take to kindly to that and flinched away as if he'd been touched by fire, yanking the child back along with him. And although Blake couldn't blame the protective gesture, although a touch possessive, he also couldn't help but give a lurch to how much Dick had been shook around.

"Michael, don't shake him too hard!", Bella said as stepped forward, laying a firm hand on his shoulder. Michael turned to her, eyes wide in disbelief at how calm she was. "Leave him be, he's had these 'episodes' before…", She trailed off as she took a good look at Dick's unfocused eyes, a worried look spread through her face.

"Belladonna, this isn't normal, look at him! That look is different! And if he went into shock, oh… who knows what could happen!", Michael yelled out frantically, catching almost everyone off guard. Almost.

"May I take a look at the young master?"

They all whipped around to see Alfred, the butler, step forward, arms outstretched to take the child in a careful hold. Everyone's breath was held for a split second, all the attention placed on Michael as he shakily nodded his head, and actually let Alfred hold the baby.

Donna's eyes narrowed slightly after Michael handed the baby over, sending a sharp glare at a nervous Michael, and a critical look at the distracted butler. She crossed her arms huffing as concern mixed with anger.

 _Aren't we supposed to be the ones that care for Dick? What the hell is Michael thinking?_ , She asked herself bitterly as she watched the butler prod at the baby, checking reflexes, vision, pulse (to which the butler had to do a double take to find the slow, but strong heartbeat). She watched as the Wayne brats got closer to him to get a better look at Dick. She bristled in her stance.

It didn't go unnoticed as Blake's eyes darted to her for the faintest second, but that was enough to tell the horned reaper that she wasn't happy with the arrangement. To a certain extent, Blake agreed. The butler didn't seen as bull-headed as others in the manor, but that still didn't give him peace of mind.

In fact, it raised his anxiety.

His tail flickered at every movement the butler made, and every eye narrowing the old man pulled, he seemed confused and worried, skeptical even. That made him even more nervous. Blake felt sweat drops forming, anxiety making him teeter on the edge of his hard earned sanity, he took a deep gulp to keep himself from retching.

 _Keep calm,_ he reminded himself, taking more breaths, trying to cool down. _He's fine, you're fine…_. He was about to pace around, before a sharp wail filled the room as Dick had begun to squirm in Alfred's arms. The reapers let out a simultaneous sigh of relief, but still remained a bit on edge from the crying.

"Young man, please. Master Richard-", said Alfred, as he tried to calm the wailing baby, who now thrashed in his hold, desperately trying to get away from the stranger. Blake couldn't blame him, he was afraid, and the most me could do was probably cry.

"What's going on here?"

Blake turned his head to see the man behind the batsuit, standing by the stairway, at the bottom steps, his face impassive. Blake didn't buy it though, he caught the slight wince of the other man as the baby let out another shriek.

To everyone's surprise, Blake took the initiative to respond to Bruce, not missing how his partners tensed immediately.

"Well, to put it simply: Crying baby", Blake said with a shrug of his shoulders, watching as Bruce lifted a brow at the response. He turned to Alfred, who was still holding the screaming toddler, and watched as the youngest Wayne, Damian, was inching closer, trying to get a peek at his surrogate "brother".

Though that was met with even more crocodile tears, causing the boy to inch back a little, his other brothers watching his pitiful attempts for more contact. There came a moment in which Bella and Michael were about to walk over there to take Dick away, but a quick grab at their shoulders stopped them.

Michael whirled around, hissing out a, "What is the meaning of this?! Blake!"

"Have you gone completely mad?!" Bella followed with her own accusing gaze.

"Oh no. I hope I haven't gone mad, and the meaning is that you both have somewhere else to be", Blake answered smoothly, removing his hands off them to grab onto his crumpled hat on the ground. "You both are to return to your duties and let me do the supervising now, and don't give me that look. You know i'm right."

The two other reapers sighed before they resigned themselves and turned to exit the manor, however not before Bella turned to him with a hiss.

"You better know what you're doing!", she said as she closed the door after her and Michael. That only leaves Blake with the Bat Family, all watching him and waiting for him to make a move.

Blake turns, toothy smile on display, trying to come off as gentle as he can with fags adorning his complexion. He could already feel the wary stares and shifts in stances, as if ready for an outburst.

"Don't worry everyone", he said, watching everyone with a sharp eye. "I got it all under control."

 **A/N- sorry for the long wait, had a writer's block. But now we are on with the show.**


	29. I'm not the sibling, you are

**Disclaimer- I own nothing DC related.**

Blake watched the family for a few seconds before, clicking his teeth and flicking his tail, beginning to walk closer to them. He adjusted his hold on Dick to make his line of sight be directed at the Bat family.

The boys noticeably leaned forward slightly, Bruce and Alfred both shifting slightly, Dick trying to squirm away. He gently tapped Dick on the arm to get him to stop, he wanted to try something before he fully freaks out.

"Eh, you…", Blake called out, nodding once, curtly at Jason, signaling him to come closer. "Closer, closer. Here."

Blake proceeded to drop Dick into Jason's open arms, watching the lazarus revived man deal with the half-dead child.

Jason took his surrogate older-younger brother into his arms, for what seemed the first time since they brought him home. This was actually the first time he held him at all like this. He didn't know what to think about that sentiment.

It was strange, for the few seconds that the silence between he and the infant lasted, he had several thoughts rushing through his skull. Some more sadistic than others.

 _He could easily crush him in his hands right now, it's be so easy and quick, just like that._

He didn't humor the thought for more than a moment, blaming the idea on his period of temporary insanity from the pit. Jason frowned, turning Dick around to look at him, big blue eye staring back at him.

 _The golden boy, the boy wonder, Richard "Dick" Grayson_ , Jason thought, the dark thoughts creeping back up again. He shoved them back down violently, a jealous, guilty spike stabbing at his chest.

Seeing Dick favored all throughout his stay at the manor, even when Bruce was mad at him, was infuriating. Actively watching him being mourned, while he never knew such sympathy or grief at his own death, enraged him.

Learning he got a new start with people who seemed to care about him, with people who had no foreseeable ulterior motive…

Seeing him now….

Jason was ripped from thought as whimpering noises began to sound out from the baby in his hold, Dick who had a shining of tears filling his eyes. Jason's eyes widened before shutting tightly, as he held his arms out waiting for the shrieking to commence.

But…

"Hey, no. None of that now. You're killing me here, bud."

Jason opened his eyes and looked back to see Blake talking to the baby with a straight face, and wagging a finger at him. Surprisingly to them, Dick didn't start crying right away yet, instead watching Blake with a distressed expression.

Jason watched with disgruntlement as Dick started to stretch his arms out to Blake, making grabby hands at him while whimpering. He saw the reaper give out a tired and sigh, rolling his eyes before picking the baby up, and whimpering being replaced by happy gurgles.

"Uh, sorry about that, just wanted to test something", the reaper offered as an explanation for the debacle, earning a scoff from Damian. Jason shot a short glare at the kid, silently threatening him to keep his mouth shut, something he didn't do.

"We aren't your lab rats to pull tests on", Damian snapped at Blake, making the horned reaper turn to address him directly with a sharp turn of his neck. He felt Tim wince, of course, he was wary of their "visitors".

Blake feigns a thoughtful look, smiling slightly, watching the reactions of the family as he exaggerates his motions.

"No, I suppose not. A rat with wings is called a bat, not a rat.", Blake said with a cheeky smile, smirking as he heard a quiet protest from the kid with "it's Robin".

"Alright, enough of that and steamrolling forward, we have to get the kid ready for the gala", Blake said with pep in his step as he began to ascend the stairs, but hearing no one following him he turned around, looking at 'Dick's brothers'.

"By 'we', I mean this kid's brothers, c'mon! You don't think i'll do it all myself do you?", Blake said as he flicked his wrist, motioning for the bat brothers to follow him up the stairs.

Begrudgingly and in hesitance, Damian, Jason and Tim all follow up the stairs with the reaper, baby in arms.

Bruce stays standing at the bottom of the stairs, Alfred with him. They say nothing as the watch the group disappear as the reach the next floor, Bruce sighs as he looks away from the stairs, looking off somewhere else. Anywhere.

"I'll- I'm going to get ready for the gala", Bruce says as he walks off, Alfred nodding at him, saying nothing. Lingering in thought for a second longer, shooting one last look up the stairs, before walking back to the kitchen. The pot whistles.

~8~

Blake whistles a happy little Christmas tune, _Jingle bells,_ as he puts a small tuxedo design footie on Dick. The toddler laughs up at the horned man, clapping his hands as Blake twirls the tune on his lips, sounding like a tweeting bird.

Tim watched them silently, watching the pleasant, happy interactions between the two, as if they'd been siblings forever. He felt a pang of disbelief at how natural their interaction between the two seemed to be, as if they were a true family, but that couldn't be.

They'de known Dick for years, by default at least, but now they came in last place on that list. Tim gripped his arms, Dick couldn't even be held by one of them without bursting into scared wails, thrashing to get away sometimes.

That hurt even more than having Dick completely forgotten about them. That he was afraid of them.

"You know, I had a brother once…"

Tim snapped his gaze back up to Blake, who held the toddler up in the air, happy squeals ripping from Dick. The reaper kept talking with his back turned to them.

"Well, he wasn't really my sibling. He was close to it thought, the little pest…", he said with a fond twist in his words. Blake turned slightly, arms drooping slightly as he did, addressing them. "Bad shit happened, never got to see him again. He was a good kid, annoying, but… he was a good kid. Better than me…"

Jason's shoulders stiffened a bit at the implication, his gaze dropped to the floor and brow furrowed. He didn't want to really want to think about any of this, not now, not ever. None of this was supposed to happen, but then it did.

He'd been pissed that he'd grieved over the fucker.

No one grieved over Jason. Not really, they were all too focused on themselves to pay him mind, to give a fuck that he wasn't coming back.

Now, when he'd actually died and been brought back, he'd thought maybe there'd be a chance to… Fuck, he didn't know. Make things right? But he couldn't even do that.

Now history repeats.

"Family, if you haven't noticed means a whole-lot to me. History… could be better.", Blake said as he walked up to Damian, and dropped the toddler into his arms, who began to squirm in the surprised vigilantes arms.

"Which is why i'm giving you a chance to do right this time", Blake said as he leaned back and watched Damian struggle to hold Dick. Damian's brow furrowed as his surrogate brother began to kick his legs to get away from him, making it harder and harder to keep a grip on him.

"Grayson! Quit squirming!", Damian bellowed out as the blows landed on his chest. They didn't hurt, but did make him much more aggravated to be kicked repeatedly and having to just take it. He couldn't hit a toddler.

Suddenly all the fight was out of Dick's body and he just went limp like a ragdoll, eyes wide and teary, big bubbly tears gathering at his eyes as he began to reach for Blake.

"Ehpepe! No! None of that, look at Damian. Not me", Blake reprimanded with a sharp flick of his finger to Dick, making the toddler's face fall, before scrunching up again, ready to cry.

Damian held him out, eyes shutting closed trying to mentally prepare himself for wailing, when he felt the toddler be pushed back against his chest.

"None of that either, don't let him push you away. Just like he never let you do the same", Blake said with a serious face, as he set Dick back into his cradling arms. "Don't mess this up, you have one chance. Don't waste it."

Damian looked up at Blake, before focusing his attention Back on Dick, scowling slightly as Dick began to scrunch his nose up in suppressed angry sobs. Dick reeled his tiny fist back before hitting Damian in a half-hearted attempt to get away. Damian wasn't having it.

"Tch. Grayson, you can't hit me enough to even knock the wind out of me. Relax", Damian said as he finally turned the toddler around to face him. Dick sniffed a few more times, before lifting his arms to make grabby hands at Damian. Damian's eyes widened a bit in confusion. He turned to Blake. "What does he want?"

Blake shrugged half-heartedly. "I don't know. Figure it out, your his brothers."

"A hug, maybe?", Tim soon provided as an alternative, an alternative that raised a few eyebrows around the room.

Damian grimaced a bit, not one for cuddling. But… he'd make one exception. Only this once.

So bringing Dick up to his shoulder to rest his head, he felt his brother snuggle into his neck, feeling his hands coming up to curl at the fabric of his shirt. For the first time, letting someone actually carry him snuggly around.

Jason and Tim leaned in as they watched Damian try, struggle, and succeed in calming Dick down. Their eyes widened, they couldn't believe it. Tim stepped forward, an excited smile on his face, he gently held his hands out to take his now-baby brother in hold, a gesture which Damian scowled at. He'd just gotten to hold him.

"Come on, I haven't gotten to carry him at all since he arrived!", Tim hissed out quietly, being careful not to disturb the peaceful toddler. Damian frowned even more, tightening his grip on his brother in arms, when a cough from Blake caught their attention, who motioned for Damian to give the kid over to Tim.

Damian clicked his teeth in disgruntlement, but gave the toddler up to Tim, but not before hissing to him, " _You drop him, I murder you!"_

Tim raised a brow, but soon brought Dick up to his eyes, finally getting a good look at him. Crystal clear blue eyes, just like he remembered them. A pixie nose, cute. Ebony hair, as always. And a happy, lethargic baby toothed smile, that was new.

It his Tim, that while he was analyzing his new-little-older brother, Dick had proceeded to play with his slightly spiky hair, smacking it with his palm as if trying to flatten it. Tim let out a low-laugh, watching his brother be so engrossed with his hair, getting caught a bit by surprise as their eyes met once more again.

Dick didn't start crying, hell, he didn't really do anything for a second, he just looked at him with his big blue eyes.

"Hello there, buddy?", Tim said hesitantly as he waited for a response, one he mostly likely wouldn't get. The most he'd ever heard from his brother was the word 'no'.

"Bud-dee!", Dick echoed out in a gleeful expression, seemingly oblivious to the word. But that still didn't stop Tim from beaming up at him.

"Yeah that's right, buddy!", Tim said as he finally brought Dick into a cradle position. It didn't last long though.

"Hey, pass him on~", Jason said teasingly as Tim rolled his eyes at him, Damian turning around along with Tim to watch the now-eldest, handle their little brother.

"Alright kid, don't burst my eardrums", Jason said as he adjusted his hold on Dick, who looked at him with wide eyes, looking at the elder with a glint of curiosity and… recognition. Jason blinked as the kid began to happily squeal, his mood going a full 180. To say the least, Jason was a bit bewildered.

Damian scowled, "Why's he so happy to see Todd?" He smirked before adding, "He's the ugliest out of us three."

Tim sniggered a bit as Jason sent them a glare, though it held no malice as soon enough, Dick began to smack his palms on Jason's face, taking the red hood's attention away from Tim.

Jason laughed along with Dick now, humoring the little guy as he began to relax his rigid hold on the kid. Even swinging his around a bit. To which the toddler seemed to enjoy, no longer fearful of who was holding him.

"Todd, your doing that 'airplane' procedure wrong. Let me show you how to do it correctly", Damian said as he held his arms out. Jason rolled his eyes at the kid, murmuring out a 'demon' or so, but again with no actual bite to it, handing him Dick, with a relaxed smile on his face.

Damian, with barely contained eagerness, began to sway Dick into the air, making slight 'swoosh sounds as he handled his little brother into the air. Dick laughed with such joy, Tim couldn't help himself from coming up to the toddler's side, tickling him mid-air. Lagheter ripped out of the little guy.

Jason soon came up the other side, tickling the kid too, as Damian held him up with a slight smile on his face, all three brothers making funny faces at the kid, cooing and babbling at him the random-silly taunt.

They barely noticed a certain reaper slipping out the room.

Blake smiled to himself as he heard the laughter still echoing from the room, as he went down the stairs, putting his hat back on to go downstairs. He may not be great with feelings, but he sure knew his stuff when it came to family. Judging by the happy laughter upstairs.

His job was done for now, he smiled to himself. A good nap was in order.

 **A/N- I'M SO SO SO SO SO SO SORRY FOR THE LONG WAIT! I really didn't mean it, I kinda got lazy and forgot about it, i'm sorry!**

 **Anyways, I tried to make it longer this time, added the bat brothers for some spice, and what not. Blake's a bit of a cheeky bastard, but he means well.**

 **Also, new Marvel movie. Endgame, is now out. SPOILER: Aquaman drowns at the end. (JK, that fooled like, so many people at my school)**

 **Anyways, Bye bye for now. I won't get too lazy again, promise. Maybe.**


	30. High heels

**Disclaimer- I don't own anything from DC**

"Party?", a quiet, almost whispered question left the child's lips, blue eyes wide and scanning the room.

"Yep, we're at a party. And a fancy-shmancy one at that.", Belladonna said to the child perched on her hip, as she walked around in her navy blue dress, observing the gala. She sighed as she felt herself falter every few steps in her high-heels.

 _God, I hate this_ , she hissed in thoughts as she strode around, avoiding all the other rich and important businessmen in the engagement, not in the mood to talk to anyone. She was especially not in the mood to be criticised for her blue-dyed hair, catching the occasional exclamation of " _Scandalous_!" or " _What_ _an unruly child_!"

She bared and gritted her teeth, she was thousands of years older than all these toddlers. How dare they call her a child?! She could easily kill everyone in this room! Why, she could hurl them all into the sun if she wanted to!

She simmered down immediately at the crossing thoughts, _No, bad Belladonna! No killing anyone here. No one at all…_

She was ripped out of though as she felt a shoe squish her toes, that were already pinched in the ugly high-heels. Her eye twitched as she forced a polite smile, she bounced Dick up and down, trying to keep herself from losing her shit.

 _Be it my luck to get stuck babysitting when the house if full of people,_ she said to herself as she turned her attention to the toddler, adjusting his little bowtie, earning her a happy giggle.

She smiled at the kid, the smile turning into a frown when she thought back to finding the kid with his former surrogate "brothers", as well as finding Blake fast asleep in a flower patch outside. She gave him a good ass-beating for slacking off on the job, but could she honestly blame him for being tired of this shit?

For god-sakes, they weren't babysitters, they were reapers. Bloody reapers whose job was to take the souls of those ready to pass on, not-

She again was yanked out of though as the kid on her hip yanked at a lock of her hair, yapping on about something, pointing and trying to get her attention.

"Hey! What was that for?", Bella yelped comically, playing along with the kid as she disentangled his tiny fingers from her hair.

"Look, look! Boy! Damy!", Dick yelled in happy exclamation, Donna finally turning to look at what he was pointing at. She groaned, it was the little brat kid she'd met a few days earlier. She could already feel an oncoming migraine…

"There! There!", Dick kept chirping out, making people turn to look at both of them, to which Donna had the decency to blush and smile bashfully at the disruption of the party. "Bella! There! Please?"

"Okay, okay. Just keep your voice down. Raising your voice to frame me as the bad guy, shame on you, you little evil maniacal mastermind", Belladonna said with a fond cheeky smile, soon dropping into a frown as she made her way to Damian.

She walked up to the kid, with Damian turning around from his quiet stance in the room to address her, his seemingly permanent scowl lifting as he caught sight of the toddler. Bella with a huff, stepped forward with arms extended with said toddler in their hold.

Damian moves to take him into his arms, prompting Bella to give pause and say to him, with a stony face, "I see a single scratch on him, you're dead."

The young ex-assassin nods wordlessly, taking the child from her grasp, earning themselves a happy exclaim form Dick. Damian cradled the toddler close, if a bit stiffly. It didn't matter to Dick really, he still seemed exceptionally happy at the boy carrying him around.

Well, now with the kid gone, she could walk around for a bit without worrying about dropping him. So she did as such and weaved her way through the crowd, baby-less this time.

Belladonna watched as the people around her twirled and danced in couples or just stood awkwardly alone, but there was the odd few that danced by themselves and seemed awfully happy to do so. Lucky them! This place reeks of social nightmare.

She didn't mingle with rich, fancy people, it was so uncomfortable to even look people in the eye, she'd know. Simon was one of them.

She huffed, _Leave it Simon, the only one able to actually walk around here, head-high, not show his ass up to this specific gala._

"-you'll never find anyone else better than me."

"I said, no."

Belladonna blinked as she caught a trace of an ongoing conversation nearby. She looked around once, catching sight of the bickering stray couple. She walked towards them, intent on eavesdropping further.

Sure, she knew it was wrong, but the crippling boredom of this old rich people part was worse than what she was doing. Honestly, she could care less, people fight over funny things anyway, it's nothing she probably hasn't heard.

"Come on, one dance, beautiful", said some drunk-ish guy with a fancy looking tux, and shiny gelled hair.

"Get the fuck away from me", was the response of the girl in the gown looking dress, a look of utter disgust and a slight bit of fear on her caked features.

 _Well well, drunk creep and freaked out makeup girl. Cliche,_ Belladonna thinks to herself monotonously, already bored. Though her luck doesn't let her get away, as she brushes by the two, unfortunately for her, catching the attention of the creep.

"Hey, hey! Where you going there, spitfire? The party's right here", he says as he puts on a disgustingly flirty smile, Belladonna groans and turns to the girl, gesturing her to walk away. She gratefully nods and hastily zig zags away from there.

The guy walks up to Bella, throwing an arm around her, to which she duck and lets him land on the punch bowl next to them. The guy sputters, spitting out the fruity drink out of his mouth, whipping his head around to shoot a glare to a certain smiling blue reaper.

"What the fuck is your problem?! Do you know who I am?", he yells, outraged, gathering the attention of a few party-goers.

"Oh I know what you are. I mean it's not too rare to see your type walking around. And you know what's that?", Bella says leaning in, causing the man to lean back, sneer in place meeting a smug smile.

"What?", he bites out.

"A giant, talking as-"

"Hello there, might I have this dance?", a charming clueless voice cut in smoothly, making Belladonna mentally groan at the stupidly fake tone of his voice. She turned towards the speaker, finding Bruce wayne standing right behind her, a light playboy smile on his face as he offered his arm to her. She put on her most polite smile she could muster out, trying to force the anxiety and annoyance out of her frame and tone.

Already that being a challenge before.

"Of course Mr. Wayne", Belladonna gritted out through her broad smile, wragin her arms around his extended arm, letting him lead her away from the scene.

Though, not before turning to look at the drunk with a large cheeky grin as she walked away, leaving the gawking, little highness in a pool of embarrassment with a light coating of pineapple cherry juice on his suit.

"You know, I can't have you getting yourselves in trouble with the other guests", Bruce Wayne's voice spoke out, the condescending undertone making Bella bristle. They continued walking, a bit more briskly this time with Bella clicking her heels into the ground and Bruce gripping her arm to keep her from walking away.

He furrowed his brows in a sudden bitter-tiredness, staring straight ahead as he led her towards an open area of the gala. He continued after a few hasty steps, "I don't want to deal with a cat-fight on top of all the other problems going on at the moment."

Bella huffed, making Bruce side-glance her, raising a brow at her.

"Yeah, well I can't help it if your guests are asshats, but then again, what can I expect from rich little bastards at these parties", she mumbled half-heartedly, looking back up at the dark glare the billionaire was giving her. She rolled her eyes, letting an easy smile slip onto her face. "That wasn't directed at you. Seriously. You and Simon need to relax."

Bruce let his grip on her slackened a bit as they both adjusted into a dancing position, taking just slight starting steps. "Oh, and why is that?", he asked as they began to move around.

"Because believe it or not, you two are serious work and stress-aholics. Not everything is about you guys you know", Bella said, tripping up on her heels a few times trying to get into pace. "And you guys take things too seriously, really, chill."

"Why should we?", Bruce asked, playing along for a bit as he twirled her around. They take a few more steps, Bella leading this time, having grown tired of being dragged around the entire dance.

She stays quiet for a moment before a smirk splits her face, making Bruce take a look at his feet out of instinct for a second finding himself twisted in his steps.

"Cause you both can still trip up sometimes", she answers simply as she lets go of his hands, letting his trip over his feet and clumsily walk forward trying to regain balance. He shoots a glare at her, to which Bella shrugs off.

She walks towards him, pausing for a bit before awkwardly patting him on the back as she looks off somewhere else.

"Look, Blake trusts you enough to let you make the right choice, not everyone's on board with it, but that's not the point", she sighs as she turns to look at Bruce, who in turn looks at her with a blank expression. She rubs her neck, "Look man, i'm trying to go along with this. I'm trying, that is, so no guarantees on anything."

She looks up for a few seconds before shooting her gaze down again, she bit her lip, trying to find her words. Bruce nodded, pressing her to continue. "I want to bury the hatchet, you know. Not hate you or anything like that anymore. A restart of sorts."

She mentally groans at herself, damn her nervous blabbering mouth.

"So, what i'm telling you now is… don't mess this up okay?"

Bruce stays silent for a bit as he reels back in surprise, but soon settles into a calmer expression, easing into a grateful smile. "I can't promise I won't trip on my own feet again, you know that right?"

"Of course I know, i'm walking on these", Bella says gesturing at her pinchy high-heels, coincidentally tripping on them again. She growls loudly while Bruce chuckles in amusement, as she rips them off her feet, launching them away in an angry huff. "Fucking high-heels!"

"Whoa! Watch where you're aiming!", a voice called out as it's owner, Michael, soon stepped out of the crowd, holding one of the heels in his hand, a look of mild disgruntlement on his features. "You could have stabbed someones eye out with one of these!"

 **A/N- So sorry for the long wait. I've been a bit busy with the TS4 release. I hope you all enjoy this chapter thought. Tell me your thoughts by leaving a comment on the story. See you all later!**


	31. Hello

**Disclaimer- I don't own anything DC.**

 **A/N- It's time.**

Michael walked towards them with Blake behind him, who still had a top-hat on his head, however the other heel was half-buried in his hat, a less than happy look on his face. "Almost knocked my hat clean off my head", he grumbled as he threw a glare at Bella, a slight hushed edge to it.

He hissed out as soon as he was close to them, "do you know what would happen if someone saw my horns! They'd fucking hang me, torch me, or even-" He paused suddenly, letting his eyes trail over to Bruce, who was staring back. "Oh, hello, Mr. Wayne."

The black reaper turns to Bruce for a moment, tipping his hat at him with a nod and smile. Bruce greets him with a curt nod. "Blake, nice of you to be able to attend."

He didn't know Blake all that well, but as far as he knows, the horned man held no hostility towards them. So likewise, he had no quals with the man and could at least greet him properly.

That said, he couldn't say the exact same for Michael, the blonde man out of decency, nodding at Bruce as an awkward acknowledgement.

"Michael", Bruce addresses the other reaper simply, leaving the greeting hanging. They all stay quiet for a moment and all begin to tense as the silence between them drawled on. Next to him, Belladonna shifted before walking forward, a sheepish smile on her face.

"Yeah, sorry about that", Belladonna says as she takes the heels back, plucking it gingerly out of Blake's hat and Michael's hand.

The both of them give her a quick look, glancing at one another before all bursting into a fit of laughter, the orthodoxy of the heels fit hitting them fully, and Bruce watches them in slight surprise and admiration.

Their dynamic was new to the vigilante. The tension that was present a few moments ago was easily extinguished and brushed out. They were all just laughing it out.

He'd seen a sort of relationship like this, when Dick had been in the young justice league. However, there was always someone on the alert, stiff or poised, amusement void in their face as the others laughed the tension off. They were awkward that way. Always something grounding them.

Were they ever actually genuinely laughing to begin with? Bruce wouldn't know, it's been a long time since he's seen them all together. It's been such a long time…

Bruce let his thoughts run just a bit longer before the laughter of the group next to him dissipated, all three watching as his sons walked over to him. Jason and Tim were both with their trademark scowls, both pointed at Damian with said boy glaring back. The jarring thing was that Dick was with them, bubbly laughing in Damian's hold.

Though not for long as Dick soon turned around enough to face him, and the happy mood he carried with him dropped. Bruce and Dick just looked at one another for a moment, but it was just enough for it all to suddenly hit Bruce like a freight train.

Dick really did die at one point.

He really mourned and grieved his death. He really believed that he'd never outlive his depression….

...and now he's here, staring at his baby son. The whole situation finally cleared up enough for Bruce to realize how absolutely mad the world has gone. And before he knew it he'd begun to make his way to Damian.

Wordlessly, he got down on one knee, and left his arms outstretched, a gesture to which Damian responded with gently handing Bruce the tot in his arms. Bruce, for the second time in the entire ordeal, held Dick in his arms.

Bruce with a new perspective took in his son's pale and near sickly features, had it not been for those lively eyes, he'd think he was holding a corpse. Much like the first time he was more than a bit alarmed with it all, a bit nervous, incredibly scared, but just so _goddamn_ relieved it was all over.

Until it wasn't as Dick froze up once again, eyes freezing over and body falling nearly limp once more. Alarm filled him as he lurched forward, placing a quick hand under Dick's head, trying to keep it from lolling back. Bruce felt the blood drain from his face as he spotted a few shimmers of light engulfing his son.

"Dick?!", Bruce exclaimed as he rubbed the baby's back in hopes of waking him up, pulling him out of whatever state he was in. Then as if on cue, Dick's body began seizing up, with the little tot's legs and arms spazzing and lunging out in different directions. Bruce's heart leaped into his throat as more light radiated from the baby. "Dick!"

At that point, one of the reapers, who were all watching the exchange, rushed forward. Before Bruce could even react, Dick was plucked from his arms, something that caused the billionaire to lash out violently under stress and throw a sudden punch at however took his son from him.

The punch never landed as a gloved hand stopped it from hitting it's target. Bruce looked over to see Michael wearing a grim look as he was holding his fist back in a firm grip, around the wrist. Belladonna was right behind him, body poised and ready for a struggle, and behind her was the rest of his family in a similar stance.

Last, but not least was Blake, who now held

"Jeezus! Kill a guy at your own party why don't ya'?!", Blake said as he hopped back a few steps, brow raised incredulously at Bruce. The billionaire took a few breaths before calming down, having the decency to look ashamed of his outburst.

"I'm sorry, I just-", Bruce said before Blake held up a hand stopping him.

"It's okay man, just chill. Also, excuse me for a moment", Blake said as he hastily walked over to the punch table, and unceremoniously slid Dick under said table. Everyone took a moment to just watch Blake with a gobsmacked expressions, looking at Blake as if he grew a second head.

Michael opened his mouth to start asking questions, an action to which Blake responded with raising a finger to stop him. Blake then looked around real quick, before slamming one hand onto the table, a quick flash of light soon following along with the table shaking afterwards causing some of the cups on the table to fall and gaining him the unwanted attention of a few guests.

Blake shrugged them off, for all they knew, he was just some jerk spilling the drinks. They didn't need to know that a baby just shifted his physical form in a flash of light, or the fact that there's someone under the table. Or there should be.

Blake looks down at the table, raising a brow at it. _Did seriously nothing else happen?_ , He thought. He began tapping his foot as he waited for reaction, anything would do. But be it his luck everything remained static, he then let a mischievous grin slide into his face . _Always ruining my fun. Let's see how much fun this is?_

He hit the table again, sending some more cups tumbling, though this time a responding bump hit the table up. A muttered "ow" followed that, and after that came some shuffling from under the table. Blake smirked.

"Dick, what are you doing under a table? Don't you want to enjoy the party, little man?", Blake asked with a humorous tinge to his voice. The group in front of him froze completely, the Wayne's especially staring intensely at the table with wide eyes. Bruce's throat closed up as he heard a light chuckle emanate from under the table.

A voice responded, "Funny you should say that, cause if I remember correctly I was slid under here against my will, Mr. Tophat." Blake scoffed as he stepped back from the table, ignoring the fact that the voice speaking back nearly gave the Waynes a heart attack.

That voice… it was so, _so_ familiar. Even if it sounded slightly airy and a twinge more youthful than he'd remembered it, he'd never thought he'd hear him sound so _alive._

There was that thought again. He's alive…

That's why Bruce couldn't help but feel himself break into a cold sweat as the tablecloth finally lifted to reveal the figure down below. He wasn't really expecting anyone to come out, that maybe this was some amalgamation, a wishful thought of a desperate man wanting his loved one back. But it wasn't, not this time.

In a near surreal fashion, the young man stepped out, features so painfully recognizable, photo-esc. As if all frozen in time, that is if Bruce didn't notice his sons all take startled and hasty steps back into him, but the unintentional contact did nothing to deter his gaze from those crystal-blue eyes, pixie-like nose, and ebony hair.

Bruce felt himself lose his breath, stepping forward, hand outstretched, as the young man turned to face him. He regarded them with a charming smile as he spoke, "Hello there. My name is Dick Grayson."

 **A/N- Peoplee, are you not entertained!? Our main character is back in the flesh! Or is he? Find out in the next chapter!**


	32. More in your memory than mine

**Disclaimer- I don't own anything of DC's.**

It's not a pleasant feeling. In fact, he feels sick. Sick and extremely wary. He can't move, not really, he's afraid he'll shake if he does. So he just stares. Stares at the near uncanniness of Dick standing there, watching them. Something Bruce isn't sure is even there.

Dick doesn't do much either, other than say his name he just stands there, though starting to tilt his head. A curious look does spread over his face though, making him look several years younger, so very animated. _So very much alive._

It was different when he was a baby. He didn't look anything like the photos or the memories they held of their beloved family member, now he looked so much like Dick, and he sounded so much like him too. It was overwhelming.

Bruce swallowed thickly, eyes's widening by a slight hair as Dick's gaze flies towards him. Dick frowns, taking the chance to look around himself and behind him, confused. He turns back to them, looking at the reapers this time, starting to grow a bit distressed, "Is something wrong with my face? What's got everyone so quiet? Is it something I said?"

Dick frowns harder as he catches Michael's jaw-drop and Belladonna's eyes grow to the size of dinner plates. The only thing that keeps him from freaking out is Blake's unimpressed look, so he turns to the dark reaper for answers.

"Blake? What's with everyone?", Dick asks, so miserably confused, growing even more so as Blake bursts out laughing, shaking his head as he walks over and clapping a hand on Dick's back, almost throwing the leaner man off balance. He's seemed to have lost some of his muscle, but still had a similar build to that of himself a couple years back.

"Well look who can walk and talk again!", Blake said as he ruffled Dick's hair, Dick smiling as he goes to pry the hand off his head. "Come on, you've just gone back to a normal size, I can mess with you now. You know the saying, 'pick on someone your own size'."

Dick laughs as he shoves the hand off, "Oh no! So that's what this is, huh?" He laughs for a second more before freezing up, and looking down. He rapidly begins palming himself down, eyes wide and face blank. He looks up as his hands land on his chest, over his heart.

He breathes out an, "Oh. Shit." Airly chuckling as he slowly turns to Michael and Bella, an air of embarrassment in his actions.

"Did anyone else see that…?", he lets his words hang, instead taking the time to look around the party goers, taking a breath of relief as he realized that most of them were minding their own business.

"Dick!"

All of a sudden, Dick was knocked into by Bella and Michael, both fussing over him, mumbling stuff about his hair, eyes, stuff like that. The freshly formed adult stood there, baffled and at a loss, letting the two continue their inspection of him while Blake stood a few feet away, smiling fondly at the three of them.

Michael soon backed up, eyes wide, "Wow, it's really you! How long has it been since you've been an adult?" Dick unsure of how to respond, just shrugged, with an easy smile.

"I dunno, Michael. I couldn't really tell you", Dick said as he ran a hand through his hair, fixing the ruffled mess he and Bella left on his head.

"Huh", Bella remarked in awe as she turned to Blake, who just stood there all too calmly for her. Bella let out an unimpressed sigh. "Aren't you gonna say anything about this?"

"Nope!", Blake answered curtly with a smile. Bella put her hands to her hips in a dissatisfied fashion, Michael raising a brow at both of them and Dick turning as well to look at Blake. "Come on, can't I just enjoy that we got to see him again this early!"

Dick eventually cracked, snorting and letting out a smile. "Couldn't wait to see the merchandise I see?", he said with a laugh at the end. Blake huffed in mock displeasure, smile creeping out.

"I'm impatient what can I say? Not like I actually missed you, you little headache", Blake said, when the three burst into laughter. "What?"

"Oh, don't even, Mr. Tough and dark!", Bella said as she placed her hands on Dick and Michael's shoulder, laughing still. "You love us!" Blake huffs again, turning so they wouldn't see the smile on his face.

Michael let out a big smile of his own and began laughing too, walking over to Dick with arms outstretched.

"Well, anyways. It's nice to finally be able to see you again, the adult you I mean!", Michael said as he brought in Dick into a hearty hug, Dick hugging back. Bella soon joined in right after she dragged Blake over.

Dick looks over to him, smiling in a bubbly happy fashion, as he pulls Blake in, "Come on you big lug! Give me a hug, I haven't had one in a long time!"

Blake shrugging and leaning into the group, all of them chuckling from how stupidly awkward they must look. Dick though, couldn't care any less as he buried himself deeper into his family hug, breathing deeply at the moment of peace.

In the entire time, the batfamily watched, all absolutely floored, though no longer frozen in a stupor as Tim walked forward. Bruce's eyes followed his third son's hesitant movements, watching him inch forward, one hand outstretched.

"Dick? Is that really you?", Tim asked, causing Dick to whirl out of the hug in surprise. Dick stood stock still as he stared straight at him. Tim swallowed thickly as he gave the question another attempt. "Is it you, Dick?"

"Um, no. But maybe it is. I don't know. But my name is Richard Grayson, if it helps any", Dick said stumbling over his words, looking so unsure of himself and tilting his head with a furrowed brow. "Why? Do I know you, or do you know me?"

"I'm Tim, remember?", the teen tried, grasping at the few straws Dick held up to him. Dick gave a small wary smile, rolling his eyes good-naturedly.

"I know a lot of 'Tims', it's a rather common name on earth", Dick provided, shrugging. "You're gonna have to be a bit more specific."

"Tim Drake, remember?", Tim said with a desperate edge, Dick sighed in slight distress, trying to work with Tim.

"Again, common name. More specific if you can, please Tim?", Dick said as he put his hands behind his back, eyeing Tim with a distant concern as he watched the younger's face fall a bit. "I want to understand who you are, I do. But this isn't helping much."

"We're your family."

Dick whirled around to face the person who spoke, the young man with the white streak of hair. He flinched as Dick looked at him, something to which Dick didn't really understand why he was so jumpy with him.

"Come again?", Dick asked as he watched Jason with wide, questioning eyes. _What the hell is going on?_

"We're your family, Dick", Jason said as he began pointing around, starting with Tim. "Timothy Drake, Damian Wayne, Bruce Wayne", he stopped and pointed at himself. "Jason Todd."

He gave another pause as he watched Dick's face clear out. He watched as Dick turned back to Tim and quickly looked around to everyone, his gaze stuttering as he looked over Bruce. But soon enough he turned back to Jason, a hesitant recognition on his face, that looked utterly pitiful in Jason's opinion.

"Ah! I see...", Dick said as uneasily grinned at the group, looking around to each one of them, all staring back at him. Though Dick's demeanor faltered. "Are you missing anyone else?"

"There's also the butler and a very close friend, Alfred Pennyworth. Who's on his way here now", he finished as he turned his gaze to behind Dick, making him turn around too.

"You called, Master Jason?", a even british voice called out, as Alfred, the ever dutiful butler walked towards them. Though, his pace faltered as he stepped closer, his eyes landing on Dick, who was also in turn staring right back at him. "M-Master Richard?"

Dick let out a tiny smile and waved at the man, saying nothing.

He watched as Alfred walked closer, a bit more hastily, coming to a stop a few feet in front of him, just staring at after a moment of silence, he had to start saying something, else he'll go crazy, "Um, hello Mr. Pennyworth?"

"Master Richard, is that you?", Alfred said as he stepped closer, Dick holding up his hands as a slight barrier to keep him from coming to close. Alfred noticed. "Forgive me for my intrusion of your personal space, but… how are.. You're you again, sir?"

"Mostly...I guess? More in your memory than mine anyway, so pardon me.", Dick said as he took a few steps back himself. Becoming increasingly aware about the number of people staring at him now, but he held his head high, smile coming back to display as he saw the young boy in the group, Damian.

He walked over to him, making no dramatic movements or awful scared steps. He stopped a few feet from Damian, and crouched down, looking the ten-year old in the eye. Damian felt no hesitation in glaring at Dick, something that made the man smile.

"Hi, I remember you", was the first thing that Dick said, something that made Damian immediately drop the scowl.

He had such a fragile hopefulness on his face, it was hard not to notice it though, with the slight twitches here and there in his expression. Though Dick wasn't really keen on keeping it there, much rather not wanting to deal with it much further with a lie.

"You're the kid that's been carrying me around today, Damian, right?", Dick said, holding a gentle smile as he watched Damian's face crumble a bit.

 _He's disappointed,_ Dick though as he mentally kicked himself. _Be kind, he's just a kid._ "I wanted to thank you for that, Damian. It was very fun, and your airplanes are excellent!"

Damian flushed red, the group cracking up in laughed at the look on the assassin's face. He huffed, crossing his arms, a tiny smile etching on his face, "Tch, you couldn't walk around on your own, Grayson. You'd get lost. Besides I only did it once, and if you're gonna do something once, even something as mediocre an airplane, might as well do it right."

Dick laughed, shoulders shaking in glee, this kid was really something else. Standing up he looked around again to the group, pointedly avoiding looking Bruce in the eye. Something didn't feel right with that guy, "Well it was very nice to meet all of you, and for inviting us to the party. Although, I don't exactly remember how I got here."

"You don't remember anything from this week?", Tim spoke up in alarm.

"Not much, only a few things, I did have the mental capacity of a toddler", Dick said as he rubbed the back of his neck, starting to get a headache with all these questions.

"What about before that? About a year ago? Do you remember anything before you…?", Tim asked again, trying to be sensible with his questions.

"Before I _died_?", Dick asked bluntly, catching the entire group flinching that the word. Dick shrugged nonchalantly. "Like I said before, only flashes. Shadows moving or splotches of color, sometimes clear intact memories, but not usually."

"The memories are there but blurred", Jason spoke up, the solemness of familiarity in his voice. "You see them, they're triggered by certain things or people, and you just see a streak of images. And you don't know what they mean…"

Dick nodded slowly, "...Yeah, something like that."

"But they're there, which means if we can clear them up, you can get your memories back, and be Grayson again", Damian concluded, with a determined excitedness to his voice. "Wait here! Drake come with me!"

Tim began to follow a sprinting Damian, while Dick remained rooted to where he was standing. Dick frowned as he watched them disappear up the stairs, "But that's not how it works…", he softly muttered to himself.

He then turned back to address Bruce, stepping up and extending his hand to him. "Well, it was nice making your acquaintance, with you and your family, Mr. Wayne."

"It's Bruce", he said as he took Dick's hand and shook it, but stopped. "Nightwing', do you remember what that is? What it means?" Dick's face wrinkled.

"Kinda, I know who he is but I don't remember much", Dick said, slinking away a bit, but Bruce kept a firm grip on his shoulder. "Uh, Mr. Wayne?"

"Do you know who I am?", Bruce asked firmly. Dick flinched.

"Yes, in a way, but not really", Dick said hastily. _Why won't you leave me alone?,_ he thought to himself. The reapers suddenly all stiffened up, making him flinch. _Oh right, mind reading, guys ignore that…_

"Dick, what the _hell_ were you thinking?", Bruce hissed out, distraught. Dick was at a loss on how to respond, so he resorted to swallow down the anxiety and keep quiet. "Why didn't you call for help? Do you think this is some sort of competition? It's not! I don't want to have to keep fighting you about this."

He paused and dropping his gaze to the ground, Dick stood stock still looking down at Bruce. "Fighting about what?", he asked quietly.

"About Bludhaven!", he hissed out, snapping his head back up, effectively scaring Dick. "Dick you do have a problem! And i'm sick of you avoiding it by using that goddamn city as an excuse! As some sort of scapegoat to avoid me because you can't come to terms that you aren't physically, mentally, or emotionally capable enough to take care of it! You're immature, irresponsible, and incapable of comprehending that there's more to this than just you!"

Dick watched with wide eyes as Bruce berated him, his grip on his shoulder tightening to a moderately painful hold as he admonished him, increasing in volume, almost yelling at him. He let his eyes dart around a bit, letting them wander over to the rest of the group.

On the sidelines, Alfred and Jason had twin looks of shock, Michael disgust, Bella critical, and Blake had briskly began to walk away. It didn't cause enough of a distraction to warrant Dick to just turn around and walk away, so he was left with no choice but to meet Bruce's gaze again.

He mustered whatever will he had left in him to speak, despite the terrifying glare he was receiving from Bruce, making him shrink down even further. "I-", he choked out but Bruce cut him off.

"No, don't even try and give me an explanation. You'll never finish it anyways, you always give up before you do, because that's what you do, give up. Dropping out of college, disbanding the team, leaving Gotham, becoming a police officer, in Bludhaven no less!

"Are you trying to piss me off, Dick? Are you trying to get back at me for something that is your own fault?", Bruce finally let go of his now-bruising shoulder with a slight shove, glare darkening as Dick took a few steps back from him, he cast his gaze down, gripping his injured shoulder. "Always good at giving me excuse, but you can't even do that right now, can you?"

By this point Dick looked around and other people were now staring at them, more specifically him. Dick felt his stomach turn at all the people throwing his name around as if he were some spectacle to behold. 'Oh my gosh, is that Dick Grayson?' 'I haven't seen him around in over a year!' 'He looks a bit ill, doesn't he?' 'A lot paler is more like it' 'Was he arguing with his dad again?' 'I think so, I wonder what he'll do next?'

At that point Dick couldn't take it anymore, so he mutters out a quick "Sorry" to Bruce, missing the stunned look of the billionaire, before crossing his arms, almost hugging himself with his head lowered down, visibly shaken as he nearly stumbles trying to get away from him.

Michael immediately rushed off to go after Dick, not sparing anyone a second glance. Belladonna on the other hand glared at Bruce, hands curled into fists as she shook her head slowly at him, before speeding off after them.

It was then that Bruce realized what he'd done, he stood in horror, his face paling and void of any indescribable emotion as he looked at the empty spot where Dick stood. He looked so _afraid_ of him. Oh god, he'd never meant to scare him, he didn't think he would. Dick would never take that from him, he'd would never do that, he'd always argue back. How could he just take all the insults? Why did _he_ insult him?

Bruce's train of thought came to a crashing halt as he heard a snarl from Jason, who was now barreling over to him with a dark glare on his face. " _What the hell is wrong with you?!",_ he yelled into Bruce's face.

 **A/N- OH MY GOSH! WHAT THE HELL** **HAPPENED** **TO MY UPDATING** **SCHEDULE** **! I'm so so sorry it took so long for me to get back to this. I** **temporarily** **lost some motivation and confidence, but I dove back in and tried to at least make a decent chapter for the long wait. Again, so sorry. Anyways I hope you all enjoy it with delight, and I hope you can leave a review with your thoughts on it. Tell me what you think! That's all for me right now, but I will be back. I** **intend** **to finish this story.**


	33. Fruit in the cup

**Disclaimer- I don't own DC.**

People kept staring at him, making comments about him, daring one another to step up and talk to him. Not like they genuinely care about him really, they just want to be the ones who 'met' Dick Grayson.

So there he was, being stared down by hungry vultures as he made his way to another table in the far corner of the room. He clumsily bumped into a few people here and there, whirling around to yell at him, before coming up short on words. _Oh my god, is that Richard?!_

His eyes widened as a couple girls with giddly twisted smiles came up to him, grabbing onto his arm and clinging to his arm. He briefly panicked at how they disgustingly leaned on him and patted his cheeks. _As if they knew him_ , he thought to himself in disgust trying to twist out of their hold.

"Richard Grayson, is that you?! My god it really is you, you've really been hiding out haven't you?", the shrill, squeaky voice of one of them said, making him cringe. "Where have you been, handsome?"

"I-"

"On vacation? On an island?", the other gasped out, cutting him off, her exaggerated school girl-like way of talking making him wonder if she punctuated everything with a gasp like she was running out of air. "What were you up to there?"

"Hiding away from you", he said hastily as he managed to rip himself out of their arm lock and quickly rushed off, ignoring the scoff and upturned noses of the two. He continued walking until he bumped into another person, this one turning around and swiftly upturning an interested smile and a small notebook.

 _A goddamn reporter!,_ Dick thought to himself as he braced himself to sprint off if need-be. "Richard Grayson, is that really you? You're just the man I wanted to see! Say could you answer some questions for me?"

"Uh, I-"

"Great!", The reported said betting his paper and pen ready, and by this point Dick's sweat dropped at seeing a whole bunch more reporters swarm around him, cameras and notepads ready.

"Now, Rich, was the 'hiding out' a publicity stunt?"

"How did you get away from the press for so long?"

"Where have you been?"

"Any comments on your family, the Waynes?"

"Uh, no further questions! Interview over! And no pictures, please!", he quickly said as he began to hurriedly walk off, noticing the flashes of light from cameras despite his request.

"Richard Grayson! Why, is that really you?", he heard a voice say. Turning to see some business man walking up to him, taking his limp hand and roughly shaking it, even though he didn't want to. He didn't even know this guy. "Jamie McPotters!" Nevermind.

"I've heard a lot about you, and i'm sure you've heard about me, your father's supplying company!", the man said with a booming voice, making him recoil. "Say, would you like to chat a bit, after that maybe we could come up with a bit of a business deal, after all with you being the heir of Wayne enterprises-"

"No, thank you, I'm afraid Mr. Wayne- I mean, Bruce, can handle that!", he said as he slinked off, not wanting anything to do with talk of business chains and money, and agh!

 _Richard Grayson! Is that you?!_ , Dick scowled, he's heard that too many times already today. It was like they haven't seen him in forever. Well, granted he's been "missing" for a year or so, but it's not like they have any business knowing where he is or isn't, and if they don't know him to begin with, that's just even worse.

He finally stopped at the table, snatching up a cup, looking around for a drink and damn him, there isn't any. Dick groans in frustration, twisting around to try and find another table, only to come face to face with Blake, who had two cups of punch.

"Hey", Blake said, handing him a cup. Dick takes it gratefully, downing down at least half, Blake watching him with a raised brow. "You know that's not alcohol, right? It won't do anything if you throw it all back, and Simon would hang me if I gave you any."

Dick stops drinking, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. "Sorry", he muttered out. Blake gives him a lazy smile.

"No need to apologize to me, apologize to your drink. Here come with me", Blake said as he guided him to another table with a whole tray of diced fruits. Blake pops a few into his own drink. "If you can't have anything exciting to drink, at least don't make it all plain, be eccentric."

He starts nursing his drink as Dick hesitantly plops fruits into his drink, with a smile holding the drink out, presenting it to Blake. Blake tips his drink down a bit to see, eyeing the cup before throwing a thumbs up to Dick.

He smiles, settling next to Blake, drink in hand. Blake's drinking slows to a stop as he throws a side glance at Dick. "You okay?", he asks.

Dick sighs, "I guess, I mean, it's just-"

"Here we go", Blake said lightly, "Open the floodgates."

"He just started yelling at me for god knows what, and I don't understand!", Dick says flailing his cup around, drink spilling out a bit. "I barely come back from the brink of obliviousness and all of a sudden, all these people want something to do with me, and I don't know why. I don't care why! But they act like I should care, then prod at me like some dissection frog in a biology lab, trying to pry me open or whatever the fuck they want with me."

"Easy with the language there", Blake mentioned in passing, sipping his drink. Watching impassively as Dick continued to flail his own in frustration and confusion.

"Then, he yells at me! He tells me all these things, and I don't even have anything to say back. It... it just caught me off-guard", Dick said, finally letting his shoulders drop and calm down. "It's like he hates me or something, for who Dick was, not who I am. You know what I mean, right?"

"Yeah, you could say that", Blake said, finally looking over to Dick. "You know, Simon and I were never best of pals, always at each other's throats and gutting each other over what we don't like about one another."

"He hates you?", Dick said with a bit of surprise, Blake straightens up.

"No, no! Nothing like that", he amends. "He and I just don't see eye to eye on many things, like with all the whole murder spree going on.

"He thinks it's one of my own kind, a demon, doing it, and i'm telling him 'You're crazy, it's not. We don't have the powers to do it'. He then accuses me of defending them, I accuse him of wanting to cause mass hysteria over my people, yada yada yada. Demons and reapers don't get along."

Dick stays silent for a little while. "Why do you fight with him?"

"I want to be right and kick him down a peg, show him he's not so high and mighty", Blake shrugs, "Maybe show him that he's just like me, i don't know. I just want him to stop with all these secrets and lies and stuff. He's got a problem with me I want him to say it to my face, and if he can do that, i'll leave him alone."

"Why settle for leaving him be, why not tell him why you don't like him back?", Dick asks.

"'Cause i'm already at rock bottom when we argue, there's no way to dig him under me. Just let him level with me, where I am, at the bottom, and there's nothing else to do but come back up", Blake says. Again another pregnant pause.

"Why do you think he fights with you?", Dick questions as he looks over into the sea of people, catching glimpses of Mr. Wayne in the distance.

Blake shrugs, "Same reason as your old man does with you, he wants to pick you apart, to make you see how awful you really are, to repent, to make you see that you need his help."

"Pick me apart?'. I don't understand", Dick responded. "And for the record he's not my 'old man'."

"Okay, well, take a look at your drink", Blake said, gesturing at the nearly juice depraved cup, fruit chunks sticking out from the concoction. "He's trying to throw the drink out of your cup so you can see what a mess there is at the bottom, to take a look at the fruit. Which to him would be all the things you've done as the… other you."

"Oh", Dick said, tilting the cup around, before looking at the puddle of punch beneath his feet. He curses under his breath

"You need a napkin?", Michael's voice suddenly joins in, said napkin in hand as he and Dick get down to start cleaning up the spilt drink on the floor. Blake follows suit, and soon enough Bella joins the group.

"Hey you two", Bella says as they clean. Dick throws her a smile, she smiles back, Blake smirks and Michael still has his frown. "Is everything ok?"

"Oh yeah, crisis averted, big brother Blake swooped into the rescue", the demon reaper said as he flew his arms in mock strength. Dick chuckled. Michael stepped forward, concern etching his features.

"Really, though?Because we don't have to stay, we could just leave", Michael offers, Bella smacking his arm and Blake's eye widening to the size of dinner plates. Dick stand there a little shocked. "What?"

"Michael, we can't leave, remember! Simon and Mary are coming to join us at the party, we can't just up and leave, we'll be dead meat", Belladonna says yanking the blode down by the ear, hissing out the reminder. Michael rolls his eyes.

"So? They'll understand, these people are insufferable. And besides, we could just intercept them", Michael reasoned. Blake smirked.

"You know, for a smart guy, you can be really stupid sometimes", Blake said jabbing an elbow at Dick, making him chuckle. Michael raised a brow. "We can't just miracle our way out of here, remember. We have to blend in, just like Miss Mary told us, be common folk."

"So you blend in, by wearing a top-hat. Something that has been long out of fashion I might add, that makes you look like you were ripped out of the 1800s?", Michael remarks dryly, earning him a solid knock to the head by both Blake and Belladonna. The four break out into laughter, diffusing the tension. Dick quieted after a moment, making the three look back at him.

"Dick?", Bella questioned at the blank, wide-eyed open stare. "Is something the matter?"

"Uh, no no, just a bit um…", Dick trailed off, opting to wave his hand around as explanation.

"Ah, just starting to sense dead souls! No need to worry, I remember when I first did that, freaked me out really", Michael said with a beaming smile, proud demeanor falling flat on Dick, who heavily frowned and went slightly pale.

"D-dead?", Dick sputtered out, looking at Michael as if he'd gone mad.

"Yeah, dead. We don't sense them otherwise...", Michael said before his face dropped at Dick's rising panic. "No! But it's okay, you grow used to it as you grow older and them it's just an afterthought, you won't notice a thing. You'll grow out of it."

"I'll grow out of it?", Dick asked as he looked at Bella and Blake, who both nodded. He breathed a slight sigh of relief.

"Yeah, it won't last long in our profession. We're reapers, it's what we do. Those souls have completed their time, and it's our job to take them to be used for a new life", Bella said as she laid a comforting hand on Dick's shoulder. Blake gave him a smile of his own and Michael nodded along.

"True. Still, a bit odd to feel a death near here, but I suppose it happens everywhere", Dick said, shrugging the tension off with a smile at peace with his family.

Soon enough the moment of comfort was broken as he noticed the two boys from earlier, Damian and Tim, run up to their direction, a couple items in hand. "Grayson! Where have you been?! We were looking for you!", Damian barked out at him as Tim rolled his eyes at the kid. Dick looked around, unsure.

"Uh, around and stuff?", Dick answered earning a few snickers from the three reapers, to which he gave them a side-glare. He turned back to the scowling boy, who now only stood a few feet in front of him. "You were looking for me?"

"Yes, we need you to look at a few things", Tim explained as Damian gathered what seemed like a few picture frames, a phone and a poster. "We thought some of these these would jog your memory-"

"-And eventually restore you in full", Damina curtly finished with resolve. Dick smiled sadly at the.

"Oh, i'm really sorry you guys, but that's not how it-"

 **BOOM**! A large crash interrupted, following with gurgling growls and roars of a beast, the screams of the guests tearing into the air. Dick turned around to see both the boys and his family stiffen up, with the reapers face's all stock frozen in fear to whatever was behind him.

Turning around to look, he felt the blood leave his face, and shook like a leaf as he saw the ghastly features of the intruder. A sickly looking, grotesque figure, with ragged spikes running down its arms and face. The mandibles near its mouth looked covered with an inky blackness on it, but he knew better, that wasn't ink.

The sharp scent of blood had hit him them, blood that dripped off it's mouth and hands, hand's that didn't resemble hands, but claws, claws that looked just as twisted and broken as the body of the beast. A body that was heavily accented with the protruding ribs of the creature, the chest looking like it dipped in every so often with each ragged breath it took.

The beast stood tall but hunched forward, mandibles clicking as it reared it's head to and fro to each person in it's path, irritable and hostile. Dick shakily let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, only to have it be ripped out of him as the creature snapped it's head towards him.

 **A/N- Things are starting to get real...**


End file.
